My Chemical Romance
"The Black Parade”
REPRISE RECORDS
All goth-looking bands with emotionally driven lyrics tend to be
lumped together as average bands hiding behind facades of makeup.
However, with its third album, “The Black Parade,” My
Chemical Romance proves that sometimes there is musical genius
behind the powder and eye shadow.
Rated as one of the top 25 bands to see live in a recent issue
of SPIN magazine, the band’s dramatic stage theatrics have
spilled onto the lyrics of their latest album, creating a morbid
opera that revolves around the idea of human mortality.
The album draws from a variety of influences, including
Queen-like licks and modern pop-punk melodies, creating a sound
that is simultaneously cacophonous and harmonious.
“The Black Parade” is an album of polar opposites,
challenging the listener to think about the duality of life and
death. While it is a cohesive body of work, each song on the album
can also stand on its own.
“Dead!,” the most upbeat-sounding song on the
record, actually deals with the most bitter, sarcastic material.
The trance sounding-vibes of “The Sharpest Lives” make
it easily danceable; however, it has a gothic sensibility to its
lyrics and distortion-filled guitar solos, which actually make the
song more of a beautifully constructed ballad than a simple tune
for the dance floor.
In the past, MCR has been noted for its story-driven concept
albums, but on “The Black Parade” the narrative ability
has been perfected by a more pronounced matching of lyrics to
musical sound. The song “House of Wolves” deconstructs
primal instincts and sets them against a backdrop of guitar
shredding, while the slow, demure notes of “Cancer”
mimic the agony and pain in lead singer Gerard Way’s
voice.
On top of everything, “The Black Parade” is a
showcase of musical talent. There are no simple, four-chord songs
““ each song is fully fleshed out into a grandiose production.
The complex melodies created on the album prove that MCR is much
more than a band driven to popularity just because of its
image.
But of course, looking extremely sexy in tight pants and black
eyeliner always helps.