This weekend left me hyperventilating…

If you know me, then you know I’m heartbroken. My Chemical Romance, my absolute favorite band, broke up over the weekend. *Insert tears here* After 12 years, four albums and one compilation CD, they decided to call it off. In their memory, I am going to review their last three albums. From their highs to even higher-highs, MCR was a band that could always be counted of for quality music. (This sounds like an obituary, but I guess I am mourning.)

Sadness.

Second Time’s the Charm

Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge

The first album they put out is one of the lowest quality screamo albums out there, and I like to pretend it doesn’t exist (the album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love would end up scoring a 3/10 SHAM). However, something happened to the band in the two years following that release, and they somehow broke out of the emo hole they were in to become a real band. Gone were the screams, and in came moody – and weird – rock. The biggest, and easily the best, song from this album, “Helena,” was constantly on MTV and put the band in the spotlight. It was edgy and definitely cool, but the question was if the album could actually match it. And, in general, it didn’t, but the bar was set impossibly high in the first place. The next best song is “The Ghost Of You,” a borderline-epic ballad of sorts that only hinted at the grandiosity to come. The rest of the songs, excluding the successful pop-crossover of “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” have the same general loudness and chunky instrumentation, which would have ended up sounding redundant had lead singer Gerard Way not been blessed with an amazing voice. Sometimes it was done really right (“The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You,” “You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison”) but other times sound almost predictable. Great, consistent record, but only a taste for what to come.

7/10 JAM

Long Live Rock

The Black Parade

Enter one of the greatest rock albums of the 2000s. The album still leaves me speechless after almost seven years, so reviewing this is hard. Taking their quirks from before and exaggerating them to the umpteenth degree, My Chemical Romance produced the biggest and most over-the-top album possible. It borrowed heavily from classic rock, but gave it MCR’s own flair and darkness, which made it unique. Critics mostly loved it, but those who hated it screamed “Queen!” as if it was a bad thing. Emulating the best groups of all time does not make your music any worse, and there is a clear difference between that and stealing. Hell, you could scream “David Bowie” at Lady Gaga, but it doesn’t mean that she isn’t any less great. Theatricality was lacking in music, and MCR pumped fresh air into rock’s lungs.

The moment “Welcome to the Black Parade” was released as the first single, music was changed. For that song alone, one of the most memorable of all time, this album could get a ten, but each song on the album reinforced its vision of greatness. Following the story of “The Patient,” this concept album brings you through the life of a man who becomes consumed by his self-destructive nature and is suddenly brought to the edge of death. “Cancer,” by far the most emotional song, exhibits the true feeling behind each of these songs. “Sleep” and “Mama” double as powerful social commentaries and simultaneously embody the spirit of rock opera (Liza Minelli even features in the latter as ‘Mama,’ epic by itself). And if you don’t remember the hook from “Teenagers,” you weren’t a teenager in the 2000s.

As epic as this photobomb

Does the Patient die? Does he live? “Famous Last Words” keeps it ambiguous, but the fact that we even care enough to ask points to the worth of this album. Truly, MCR hit on something great when they made this masterpiece.

10/10 SUPER JAM

And then there was this..

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

How do you follow the perfect rock album of the 2000s? Well a few years later, MCR came back with this: the most unjustly hated-on albums of all time. Another concept album, this time in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic sort of America, but it was no where near the same. Where The Black Parade went for gloomy opera, Danger Days went for light and hopeful. Big mistake, apparently, as “true” fans were outraged. But they must not have been listening to the same album, because this is a glistening production. It’s strength is in the musicianship, which is an evident improvement of anything they’ve down before. The guitars are crisp and they rhythms are solid. However, the uplifting lyrics serve as a double-edged sword, flitting between soaring, meaningful inspirations to wet-blanket declarations. “Bulletproof Heart” is the perfect example of their lighthearted tone working in all the best ways. And “Summertime,” a beautiful, summery song, should have been released to radio since it would have been a huge hit. “Sing,” is the most popular track off the album (it was even covered by Glee), and it becomes the closest thing to a true anthem of Black Parade-memorability on the album. They ooze maturity, but just fall short a few times; this is most notable on “Party Poison,” which begins with an irritating Japanese girl shouting and spells out for a wreck (sorry, Gwen Stefani did it best).

The thing is, you get lost in this album, too. You get caught up in the theme, and the tone sets you free down a journey of your own. Sure, The Black Parade was more immediate and overwhelming, but sometimes subtlety and control are displays of greatness. It’s an amazing album, just different. And it’s okay to be different.

It’s just different, and that’s okay

9/10 JAM

They released a compilation CD of old songs that they re-did at the beginning of this year (And you MUST listen to “The Light Behind Your Eyes” from it. Perfection) and I was hoping for a new era of MCR, but sadly it’s over. I’m happier that it happened and I could live through it, though. If you ever have a slow day, I suggest popping in one of their albums and experiencing their artistry.

Tough breakup, but my heart will go on

New music next week.