Album Review: My Chemical Romance—Danger Days: The True Lives of Fabulous Kill Joys.

This is technically a little behind the time, but the album is new to me (November 23d was the release date) I hadn’t heard hide nor hair of My Chemical Romance since about 2005, when their most mainstream album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge hit the stores, debuting the single “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” a bouncy, goofy, slightly bitter number that is still sometimes on the radio. I was never terribly impressed, they were a decent band, but not worth really investing in. Gerard Way sounded a bit like Robby Takac but lower pitched. He looked like a gremlin with pink eyeliner and stringy black hair, which was appealing to me at the time. It seems the gremlin has cleaned up quite a bit and the band’s s sound has coalesced quiet a bit. This revamp started with Black Parade in 2006, from what I’ve seen and heard but black parade was still on the darker side, like their older stuff. Honing into a punk-pop sound, without the immaturity of some of the others in that scene, My Chemical Romance has found a sound that is catchy, deliberately cacophonous, and all around fun; leaving behind their darker roots, while keeping hold of some of their cynicism. This is one of the few albums I’ve seen in this decade that sounds like one cohesive piece and hearkens back to concept albums, but there is not story that I can discern. Way has referred to it as an “anti-concept” album. Fun to listen to but no tracks that really grabbed me With the interspersed radio-like tracks, Danger Days: The True Lives of Fabulous Kill Joys gives the feel of something of a last broadcast—a party at the end of the world. The downside of this cohesiveness is many of the songs sound similar, other than the single “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and the radio tracks, none of the songs sick out particularly from the others, while listening I’ve had to check repeatedly which song was which. Fun to listen to but no tracks that really grabbed me. There is almost no distinction track to track, both in its cord progressions, and in the vocal style as well as the tempo of the songs—always upbeat, fast-paced numbers. However, I would almost argue that the indistinct nature of the tracks worked to the album’s benefit. While there are no “single” songs, it also doesn’t sound per se redundant, rather, it plays like one track. Its also a very honest album I don’t hear any tracks that are trying to be radio numbers. Overall a fun, catchy album.
(3.5/5 for technical skill, 4/5 for genuine entertainment)

Music Update and Concert review : Sick Puppies and Bad City

Sorry folks, it’s been a rough few months in real life land for me and I ran into a slight case of broke, so there was a hiatus.  Mea culpa.
Musical things of note that have happened:

• 10/4 Kill Hannah front man, Mat Divine, upon landing a roll in Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, canceled his long standing tradition  of a  huge, mutli-day music event in December ( Called New Heart for Xmass) In favor of something on a similar scale in New York, offending many Chicago fans. 
• 9/12--the VMAs happened: I admit I should have reviewed them highlights include:
• 30 Seconds to Mars riding in on bikes as tribute to their "Kings and Queens" video
• And one of their members, Shannon Leto, had to take an emergency break when he got glitter in his eye thrown by more exuberant fans.
• Rihanna made a "surprise" performance with  Eminem.
• Gucci Mann tossed hundreds of dollars onto the carpet.
• Lady Gaga came out in a dress made of raw meat, I'm not entirely sure why, possibly because she's gaga.
• 11/23 30 Seconds to Mars released their "Hurricane" 14 minute movie and MTV banned the video within two days for its sexual content.  30 Seconds to Mars released to the fans that day, and an uncensored version is due out the sixteenth of this month.  I watched the video and I can see why MTV banned it.  Hurricane was full of very sexual imagery, and some things that bordered on pornography.  However, it was incredibly artistic and had an interesting message
• 12/11 Q101 kicks off its Twisted  Event-- I attended the first day (review below)

 The Show itself: Alter Bridge (not reviewed) with Sick Puppies, and Bad City.  (House of Blues, Chicago)

 The Venue: The House of Blues, Chicago (4/5):  I've reviewed it countless times.  However, they've made some changes than I'm still not sure about.  Initially,  The House of Blues had the balcony as exclusively VIP.  I never had any desire to go up there,  as a rocker, my place is on the floor whenever possible, and so I can't comment on how it is up there.  However, I've never seen the place more crowed on the floor.  I'm pleased one of my favorite  venues has gained more patronage.
They've also added more security in the bar area (which is 21+ for obvious reasons, they have other areas meant for younger patrons, though truthfully the House of Blues  is really designed for a 21+ crowd.

The Crowd: (2.5/5) While I didn't stay for Alter Bridge, I sincerely hope the crowd improved for them.  These people were very still and had a  dulled vibe.  They improved for Sick Puppies, but I think that is a function of Sick Puppies being that good, rather than a function of the crowd.

The First Opener: Bad City (2.5/5 live, 3/5 recorded)  First openers are always a little green, a little uncoordinated, and a little unbalanced as they are unpracticed.  However, they also tend to have a lot of often-misplaced energy.  This band was a perfect example of all these things, a clumsy, but  energetic and some how they had a little charm.  Their sound seemed quite disparate from their look,  lead man Josh caddy looks as though he would fit in more with bands like My Chemical Romance  than in a rock show.  Their sound was very much rock, with a little bit of an eighties nostalgia flare.  Their look fit more in this decade however.  They certainly put in effort though and you could tell that, unlike many of these greener bands, they had practiced a good deal.  I'm not sure these boys will make it beyond the local scene.

Second Opener: Sick Puppies (5/5) these guys are in my top three for live shows.  Shimon Moore (the front man) is fantastic with the crowd,  he can get them moving even when it’s a slow song, and he got a good portion of the people there for Alter Bridge to jump.  One of his tactics, which I’m quite fond of,  is  to challenge the people who are Sick Puppies fans to "show them how we do things at a Sick Puppies show" so to speak.  In a very still, often unforgiving crowd people who by a show of hands had never seen Sick Puppies before, I saw most of the pit  jumping and eve some slam dancing-- a rarity for an opener.

One of the things I particularly like about these guys is that  they  are constantly improving their show,  altering their set lists, and  they clearly put a lot of work into their shows.  It’s a treat when  you see a band for your second or third time and it’s an even better set, with even tighter coordination than the last one.

Another thing that caught my attention was that we're seeing more vocals from their bassist, Emma Anzai.  Anzai has a wonderful, very soft alto voice that is not often heard on their albums.  I'm looking forward to  hearing more of her on their next album.
I unfortunately had to bail  for Alter Bridge, the weather was nasty.  More reviews later.