It's no secret to anyone who knows me that music is a large part of my life. It influences just about everything I do, and no matter what I'm doing I always have my ipod on in the background, which is why when I saw the video for My Chemical Romance's single "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" on MTV Hits last month I nearly went into cardiac arrest. For the most part, I hadn't heard anything about them since they put their last album "The Black Parade" out back in October 2006 so seeing them on MTV Hits four years after their last release was a bit shocking but a very welcomed change to the drone of rap and pop videos that usually swarm their station. It was nice to see MCR making their much deserved comeback and I couldn't even express in that moment how happy it made me, because MCR has been a staple in my CD collection (yes, I still buy CD's...it's a lost art and I refuse to give it up) and I fully intend on making Danger Days a part of my collection as well. Don't believe me? If you're one of the negative music fans out there who are jumping on the 'My Chemical Romance is selling out...they don't sound the same...or my personal favorite, they're not the same' then listen up and I'll give you 14 good reasons to go out and buy this album!
Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys brings a new found musicality to My Chemical Romance, yet it embodies all of the same elements that have made them the My Chemical Romance that their fans have come to know and love. The songs that serve as teenage anthems are immensely present in their latest effort, and are perfectly offset by more rowdy songs that will turn the biggest circle pit into a brigade of dancing and singing teens and young adults. This album is completely and fully My Chemical Romance and who they are at this present moment, and I don't think there is one song on this album that doesn't show how much they've grown up in the four years since The Black Parade was released and yet how they've stayed true to themselves and kept their sound a part of this album. With time comes change and I think that My Chemical Romance has fully brought that element to the table with their solos, lyrics, and the overall theme of the album. It is a story from beginning to end and there’s no better place to start then at the beginning.
Here's the breakdown from first to last:
1. Look Alive, Sunshine- Dr. Death Defying introduces you to Danger Days “this one’s for all you rock and rollers, all you crash queens and motor babies.” Basically this album is for you, so listen up and play it as loud as your stereo will allow. It’s a perfect introduction…a radio station intro if you will, and it tells you exactly what you’re in for.
2. Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)- You’re thrown right into MCR’s smash single and without a second to breath you should find yourself singing along! This song has classic My Chemical Romance written all over it and reminds me of the first MCR song I ever heard; I’m Not Okay (I Promise). The solo and solid rhythm, background vocals and bass line punch through in every lyric sang and really have the hype and drive that spells out My Chemical Romance. Favorite Lyric: “Everybody wants to change the world, but no one, no one wants to try”
3. Bulletproof Heart- If My Chemical Romance had to pick an anthem this would have to be it. It’s got everything that should be in a song that details a band from the past to the present and is lyrically strong. The solo is nothing but entrancing and can captivate even the most musically dull human being. “I’m who I’ve got to be” just brings a pang of happiness to my heart every time I hear it because it’s those words that reveal that there’s no ulterior motive for making this album…they did it because they wanted to do it. Favorite Lyric:“I’ve got a bulletproof heart, you’ve got a hollow point smile.”
4. SING- My favorite, and when I say favorite I mean favorite, song on the album. It’s as plain and simple as the lyrics in the song; sing for yourself, for the people you love, for the world. It doesn’t mean you need to sing per say but let’s be serious..do what you love and do it for yourself and for the people who care about you. The chorus in the background adds a finesse and polish to the song that isn’t normally present in a rock song, but then again this song is so polished and perfect it just brings a tear to my eye. Favorite Lyric: “I am not the singer that you wanted but a dancer”
5. Planetary (GO!)- My Chemical Romance has a dance anthem? I think so! It’s just so fun and lively and it makes me want to dance! If it doesn’t have this same effect on you then you might want to see a doctor about that because WOW! This is for the concert kids, the club kids, and the kids who just don’t give a damn! Shout it out, do what you do and don’t think twice about it! The guitar and rhythm is so fun and it reminds me of the feeling I got when I first listened to “Hang Em High” because it had that western rhythm to it and didn’t seem to fit the rhythm on the rest of the album but alas it did! This song is different yet it fits so well and I want to blast it until the sun comes up! Favorite Lyric: “I’m unbelievable, yea, I’m undefeatable, yea, let’s ruin everything; blast it to the back row!”
6. The Only Hope For Me Is You- The MCR love song; it’s a different kind of soft and sweet from SING and has more of a rock edge to it with the synthesizer and deep bass lines. You can clearly hear the emotion flowing through the veins of these lyrics and hearing them sung out loud brings them to life; you can see this couple going through a journey together and you just want to keep watching to find out what happens. This song is like a movie without any pictures, it draws you in from the beginning to the end credits. Favorite Lyric: “Can I be the only hope for you? Because you’re the only hope for me.”
7. Jet Star And The Kobra Kid/Traffic Report- Dr. Death Defying returns with the traffic report and some news from the zone…giving you the latest headlines on Jet Star and The Kobra Kid..don’t get ghosted and don’t forget to die with your masks on if you have to tumbleweeds!
8. Party Poison- A good ole fashioned rock song! Every rock album needs one and well, who can turn down a good solid rock song? Certainly not me! It’s a fast driven party song [different than Planetary (GO!)] and with a completely solid pace to it. There isn’t much happening with the guitar riffs but you can hear the hardness and rough edges of the song soaring through the lyrics and punching through your speakers. Favorite Lyrics: “So hit the lights and I’ll do it again; and keep your cars and your dogs and your famous friends.”
9. Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back- Another one of my favorites on the album, it just screams rock song. The beginning really makes me think of a HIM song with the way the guitar sounds..something you might have heard on Razorblade Romance or Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights. You can really hear the bass as one of the primary sounds in this song and it gives it an entirely different punch than you would normally get with a guitar driven song. Granted there is a dive bomb solo right in the middle and it breaks up the bass and really helps bring the song home completely! I also really love the “na na na’s” that are in the chorus- they’re fun! Favorite Lyric: “We can leave this world leave it all behind.”
10. S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W- The way the lyrics are sung remind me of Mama from The Black Parade. The rhyme of the lyrics and the way it seems so poetic really brings a softer meaning to a song named after a farm distraction (no disrespect to scarecrows). The bridge of the song and the following solo are just incredible…a soft bridge with a piano and then this completely shredding solo are just fabulous! The way the song is about moving your body and hiding it from the scarecrow is just…hide yourself from things that you know can harm you. Stay away from things you know are bad…anything that can hurt you isn’t worth your time. Favorite Lyric: “Blow a kiss on the methane skies, see the world through your playground eyes.”
11. Summertime- The My Chemical Romance summer anthem without a doubt! It’s the kind of song that makes you glad to be where you are with the people you’re there with. It’s a flashback song that makes the most vibrant of times appear right before your eyes. It’s soft and airy like a summer day and the perfect song to lie in the grass and watch the clouds pass to. Favorite Lyric: “If you stay, I would eat away your mind; or until my heart explodes.”
12. Destroya- A classic My Chemical Romance rough around the edges, screamer song! It reminds me of something that would have been on Life On The Murder Scene…recorded at an AOL live sessions with Gerard holding the mic up to his lips and saying “check..check” until the song kicks in. There isn’t much of a solo but there is a pretty sweet drum session during the bridge that brings the sounds of the song to life above and beyond the lyrics. As punchy as the lyrics are there’s a so much happening musically that you need to listen beyond the flow of the words and hear the sound. Favorite Lyric: “They don’t believe in God, I don’t believe in Love, they don’t believe in us but I believe in the enemy!”
13. The Kids From Yesterday- This song is going to be my other summer anthem…I mean My Chemical Romance’s other summer anthem. It’s almost part two to Summertime and has that same earthy feel to it where you just want to kick off your shoes and spend the day soaking up the warm sun and all the beautiful things around you. I would definitely take a quiet walk along the shore with this playing on my iPod. It’s calming and just beautiful throughout. Favorite Lyric: “When we were young we used to say that you only hear the music when your heart begins to break; now we are the kids from yesterday.”
14. Vampire Money- SO MUCH FUN! This song has get up and go written all over it! I can’t say anything else except that the chords are simple, the lyrics are fun and it makes me want to get up and dance! And the solos awesome too! Favorite Lyric: “3…2…1…we came to fuck!” (just because it’s so much fun!)
Don’t forget to SING!
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