In the midst of bulletproof vests, black eyeliner, and all the classic rock theatricality, a certain aspect of My Chemical Romance’s craft has been lost: Their sense of perfectionism. Whether or not you bought into their penchant for ambition, it’s impossible to say MCR makes music for anyone but themselves. A simple glance at their career reveals a group obsessed with continually topping their previous artistic output, setting the bar higher and higher with each new release.
This is nothing new. Since the band’s inception, they’ve been focused on creating consistency in all realms of their art. This is apparent from their physical appearance to the intertextual Easter eggs embedded in Gerard Way’s prose. Nothing is an accident in the world of MCR, and 4 albums into their career, the very notion of a multi-media style concept remains tied to the fabric of their identity.
They go big, never opting to go home.
That said, it’s been a long journey leading up to Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, and by the sound of the record, it appears to have been one hell of a ride. After scrapping an entire album of darkly tinged, Stooges-influenced punk, My Chemical Romance treat fans to their most eclectic and diverse album yet. While 2006’s The Black Parade was a testament to careful construction and traditional arrangements, Danger Days is splattered with looser songs and vibrant tones, the sound of a group embracing all the overblown recklessness rock n’ roll can offer.
By now, it’s clear that MCR’s concept would be anything but mundane (The record plays out like a radio transmission from 2019, where the group is a rag-tag gang of laser wielding outlaws in a dystopia-style Wild West), yet the album is light on narrative this time around. While pirate DJ Dr. Death Defying pops up every now and then, the songs are the real stars on Danger Days, capturing a sense of urgent rebellion against a backdrop of big melodies.
The snarling, snotty blues of “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and the snyth-laced Trans AM crunch of “Bulletproof Heart” start things rolling, and the band never looks back. Frank Iero and Ray Toro effortlessly trade Iron Maiden-esque lead work like it was second nature, while Mikey Way holds the low-end with menacing proficiency. Yet it’s Gerard Way’s impeccable range that ties it all together, his voice marrying pulpy adventures with arresting images (“You got a bulletproof heart/I got a hollow point smile/We had our runaway scars/Got a photograph dream/On the getaway mile…”). Though the melodies are sing-songy, Way has a sincerity in his delivery, a sense of insistence that elevates his romantic, yet dangerous prose to meaningful places.
This tight sense of storytelling succeeds on two levels, allowing MCR the chance to refine the themes they’ve been singing about for nearly a decade, as well as push their music into new sonic territories.
While Danger Days has its share of loud, fast rock n’ roll (The gritty assault of “Party Poison” and the spikey metallic riffing of “Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back” come to mind), MCR has really embraced electronic embellishments this time around. “Planetary (GO!)” might be alarming for some longtime fans, but its blasting sirens, propulsive beat, and glitzed up synthesizers are like sonic heroin. Elsewhere, “SING” relishes in mammoth drums and twinkling piano, while “The Only Hope For Me Is You” implements thick electronics and shimmering guitars. Unlike some groups that force an aesthetic, MCR use these instruments carefully, branching out just enough to suit a specific song or the album’s future-chic concept.
The real beauty is how MCR makes Danger Days feel cohesive, without feeling directionless.
Even if the sounds and textures they’re experimenting with are processed in nature, the music isn’t. This is clear on the album’s crown jewel, “S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W,” a flange flavored combination of Beatles psychedelics and Smashing Pumpkins denseness. Toro’s ethereal axe-work takes the song to dizzying heights, but “S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W” finds the band operating on all cylinders, striking a delicate balance between bold experimentation and musical restraint.
In short, it’s clear that the band has grown a great deal since their last full length.
The 4-year gap between Danger Days and The Black Parade seems to have really assisted MCR in their soul searching. Danger Days finds Way mining the depths of his deepest fears, whether it’s cultish nature of religion on “DESTROYA” or the group’s detractors on “Vampire Money,” but he does so with perspective, not compulsion. Unlike other MCR records where ability to hope and love was buried under anguish (or perhaps found at the end of the journey) these seem to be the paramount themes on Danger Days. The group is simultaneously coming to terms growing older (“Hold your breath when a black bird flies/Count to seventeen and close your eyes/I'll keep you safe inside…”), without growing cynical. They’re able to embrace who they are while accepting life’s decay, preserving the urge to fight while realizing how far they’ve come.
And make no mistake, Danger Days is a bold call to arms. Cuts like the grungy, spazzed out “Vampire Money” keep the adrenaline flowing amongst all the lofty keyboards, but the real treat is how it all comes together. My Chemical Romance has made an album that stands up to the best of their back catalog, creating something many groups aren’t interested in making anymore: A big, uncompromising, rock album.
It’ll be wild seeing them top this one.
Key Cuts: Bulletproof Heart, Party Poison, S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W
Sounds Like: Origin Of Symmetry (Muse), Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness (The Smashing Pumpkins), Raw Power (The Stooges)
Click on the artwork to sample Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys for yourself!
Author's Note: The deluxe edition of Danger Days has a bonus EP with one song that survived from the previous album, the much fabled "Black Dragon Fighting Society." While I can’t complain about the songs that ended up on Danger Days, I wonder how incredible the scrapped album still might have been since, quite simply, "Black Dragon Fighting Society" melts faces.
I found a liquid cure
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{for my land locked blues}
For the past couple of summers in Philly I was down at the shore at least
every other weekend. Maybe not on the bea...
3 hours ago
4 comments:
SEND ME THIS ALBUM, PLEASE!?
I was not excited about this album until I read your review. I do love MCR, but was nervous as to whether or not this would be good.
Honestly, there is so much I want to say. But I don't want to leave a review on your review, so I will try to be brief (and maybe just e-mail you my thoughts sometime haha).
I waited for this post for you and was really glad to see it get 4 and a half. My first question was why not the 5 star - not saying it deserved it, just curious as to why only the half. Mainly because there is something I can't quite put my finger on, but it is "near-perfect."
Maybe it's the album that was scrapped. I finally got a copy of the bonus EP so I will see how that turns out.
But I do have to say, sometimes "gimmicks" are hit and miss. I feel MCR got a "hit" with this one, as when I put the cd on, the radio intro going into "na na na" gets me pumped everytime.
@Liz: I'm humbled that my review could get you excited about this album. For what it's worth, I think you'll love it.
@Matt: I ALWAYS welcome discourse that goes beyond the confines of comment boxes!
That said, I think you ask an important question: Why not 5 stars? To be fair, I did toy with the idea, even going so far as to dock it the half star JUST before I hit publish. Here's my point by point rationale:
-Dr. Death Defying. While I love the character, and the idea of a DJ on an album, he doesn't add to the songs or the narrative. Aside from his introduction, his interludes seem like an after thought on Danger Days, interrupting the album's flow. Actually, if you take a listen to Songs For The Deaf by Queens Of The Stone Age, you'll see this technique employed a lot more effectively as the DJs comment about the state of modern music. Here, Dr. D just makes us anxious for more rockin' tunes.
-Not all the songs a perfect. For me, a 5 star album needs to be an album full of home runs. Danger Days has the same problem Kanye West's new album has: Lots of home runs and some extra base hits. For me, "Summertime" and "DESTROYA" are two songs I constantly wrestle with. Both are good, but I can't conclusively say they're perfect because they just don't go far enough sonically or lyrically.
-I REALLY wanted to hear the old album. This doesn't diminish Danger Days, but it does make me think we could swap out some of the middle of the road songs here with potentially GREAT songs we haven't heard ("The Light Behind Your Eyes" comes to mind). Also, take into consideration what we DO know. "Bulletproof Heart" (Formerly Trans AM), "The Only Hope...," "Party Poison" (formerly Death Before Disco), and "Save Yourself...," were saved from the Brendan O'Brien sessions and we also know other songs from those sessions were solid as well. "Black Dragon FIghting Society" kicks ass, and the videos from the Roxy shows showcased two other great tracks, "Kiss The Ring," and (my personal favorite) "The Drugs." I think Danger Days isn't harmed by these exclusions, but it does make one think that some tracklist shuffling could have really tightened up the second half of this record.
That said, these are tiny complaints. This is a solid album, and I can't wait to pick up a physical copy. Additionally, I agree about your perspective on gimmicks. I think MCR's image is often where they draw the most ire, and yet they're probably better at it than anyone else.
find me on fb dude! every time i make a mental note about dark twisted fantasy im like, gotta run this by mike! but then i realize we havent gotten to that level of friendship yet. sigh. i mean, how am i supposed to sleep at night when questions such as "WHAT DOES THE "D" IN MICHAEL D STAND FOR?" arise incessantly?? come on mike throw me a bone GEEZ!
haha FIND ME: jackie dietzsche chun
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