My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
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Free Music Notes for The Black Parade
Free Music Review: Only about "Welcome to the Black Parade"
Hit: 5 Stars
Before you start reading, a couple things you should know about this review: #1) I haven't bought or listened to the entire album; #2) Other than having heard of the band, I don't really know much of their stuff, including anything from the first album; #3) I'm mostly a classical music nut, but I have this constant vacillation between loving the truly great, lasting, disciplined music of the "classical" world (that includes all periods not just the properly "classical" period of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven) and needing to hear good, energetic, driving, passionate popular music (radio music of all genres); #4) This review is only about the single "Welcome to the Black Parade"
Ok, with all that out of the way, let me just say that, when it comes to popular music, I usually just listen to the radio, listen to whatever is current in hopes of finding something of lasting value. That rarely happens, but usually I enjoy what I hear and just kind of go with the flow. The latest from Justin Timberlake, or Eminem, or Beyonce, or Green Day is usually a welcome distraction from the annoying drivers in Dallas. I can remember kind of hearing parts of "Welcome to the Black Parade" in my car a couple times and thinking that it sounded interesting and, in a weird way, inspiring. And then, at some point (you know how this goes), I started wanting to hear the song, started listening for it. And the first time I really "heard" it after that happened, the first time I really "listened" to the song itself, I was absolutely floored.
What caught my attention first was the grand, overarching, nearly perfect musical "architecture," or construction of the piece. There is some kind of genius at work here. The build-up of musical drama in this song is just fantastic and nearly unbearable at points. The opening slow ballad has reminiscences of the opening "ballad" of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (no coincidence that a lot of people mention Freddy Mercury and Queen's bombastic musical style when they talk about this album). Though the proportions are different (with Bohemian Rhapsody the ballad is much longer), the "feel" is similar.
The ballad is almost a self-contained piece (after all, it's almost 2 minutes in length), but it is certainly not "complete" in itself and what comes after is absolutely necessary to the sense of wholeness of the song. The buildup of the ballad is fabulous, from just piano and vocals, to the addition of drums (playing the "marching band" type of cadence) with quiet guitar, to the addition of guitar playing a type of "counter melody" to the shift in register and intensity of the vocals when the opening lyrics are repeated.
The shift into the driving rock part of the song is again reminiscent of Queen (though the driving, guitar-driven insistence has strong echoes of Green Day also), and the main part of this section is solid in itself and plays with the theme of death that is so prominent in My Chemical Romance's music in general. But the really breathtaking move in the song comes with the "bridge" section that begins with the key change at the lyrics "On and on we carry...." The bridge is, again, solid, if not entirely surprising. But what it leads to is not a repeat of the chorus but rather a dramatic shift in tempo, a brilliant slowing down of the music characterized by a repeated upward-moving melodic motif that takes over at the words "Do or die, you'll never make me." Here is where the comparisons with the techniques of the music of musical theater (and hence the comparisons with Green Day's "American Idiot" album, inspired as it was by musical theater) become perhaps most apt. What came to my mind almost immediately when I heard this shift was a similar combination of musical motifs (though perhaps united more closely and not as "sectioned" off as in "Welcome to the Black Parade") in the equally bombastic "One Day More" from Les Miserables, one of the most intensely brilliant (and meaningful) of all musicals. If you want to hear the most exact parallel, listen to the musical motif and the shift in tempo introduced into "One Day More" by the lines sung by Javert and the Thenardiers about two minutes in ("one more day to revolution" are the lyrics that start it). This musical motif is repeated later in the song with everything else surrounding it, in the way that "Black Parade" combines the musical motifs in its end too. Just incredible that "pop music" can have this kind of connection with the more serious (at least in the case of Les Mis) world of the theater, though Frank Wildhorn's musicals prove that pop music and musical theater have always been in some kind of close relationship.
The return of the chorus is brilliant. It has another great buildup of dramatic effect preceding it, with the almost screamed lyrics "I don't care" leading into the final repeat of the chorus. And finally, in a move reminiscent of the techniques of the "classical" era (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven) of classical music, the bridge "do or die" combines with "we'll carry on" to show the unity of the piece as a whole and bring it to its ringing conclusion, with just an echo of the drum cadence in the very end to let us remember where we started. The fact that the music HAS an ending (and can't simply be "faded out," as with most pop songs) is an indication of its careful construction and is refreshing in an era of sound bites and abbreviated bits and pieces of music being tossed here and there.
All this being said, I have a feeling that this piece may stand with the "greats" of a bygone era of classic rock. It has the same bombastic, over-the-top, perfected structure exhibited by the Holy Three from the 70's, "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Stairway to Heaven," and "Hotel California." I am excited by this song, and feel hopeful both for this band and for the music of the pop world as well. Wonderful stuff. I'm buying the album soon, so maybe another review will be coming.....Until then, enjoy this moment in music history.
Free Music Review: Best of MCR
Hit: 5 Stars
Alot of people are saying that this album is more poppy. It is, in fact a lot more poppier and funkier than their previous two albums, although the music displayed on this album is still far from pop. It is just basic "rock" in my opinion. 2nd album was more of dark rock as well as the first.
If you like MCR, I still recommend this album, and I think this was an extremely well done album. One of those albums where every single song could be a single.
1. [The End.] 7/10
A simple intro not much to say. It's very groovy though and leads right into the next song.
2. [Dead!] 9/10
Extremely catchy and very similar to "Can't Catch Tomorrow" by lostprophets. It's poppy and rhythmical, and super fun to sing along to, especially the part where Gerard starts chanting, "lalalala" because it's so odd. This song gets old very fast though.
3. [This Is How I Disappear] 10/10
It becomes your favorite song at first and then just lowers. The intro is really awesome, and it's fun to sing along.
4. [The Sharpest Lives] 10/10
Possibly my favorite on the album. The verses are very sophisticated and well done. It seems simple but once you listen well, it just sounds...good. The overall song kind of reminds me of "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison" from the 2nd album mostly because it is t he 4th track but also because they were both so likeable and with so much effort into them.
5. [Welcome To The Black Parade] 7/10
Holy crap I am extremely sick of this song! The most overrated and overplayed song in the book. The songs catchy, very catchy, but it just is sooo overplayed. It's a single because of all these things plus it is the title track! "Famous Last Words" is a much better single than this.
6. [I Don't Love You] 6.5/10
And in every album there is always a filler track. Here it is. I like how they tried to insert kind of a slower sadder song in the album, but it just doesn't work out for me. It's very boring and dull, although you may still get to like it. It may still grow on me.
7. [House Of Wolves] 8/10
This is the only song that took me about 3 listens to actually get into the song. It will take some time to like it, maybe just because there isn't one part that sticks out. It's an overall good song, with good swerving guitar riffs and chords. It's thrilling and fast-paced, probably the fastest on the album.
8. [Cancer] 8.2/10
Good song. It's not a great song to listen to over again maybe because it is short, but overall, it's kinda boring and sappy.
9. [Mama] 9/10
Pretty f**king awesome song just because I love singing it. Sometimes I'll just grab the lyric book and lie on my couch, just reading the lyrics and singing along. It's just a funny catchy funky song where MCR just kinda let loose.
10. [Sleep] 9/10
Similar to "Cancer" but a little better. Actually much better in every way. This song has a lot more emotion to it, with the guitar chords soo effective, this guitar will always work for sad songs like these, much like "Let Love In" by the Goo Goo Dolls, or "I Won't See You Tonight Part 1" by Avenged Sevenfold.
11. [Teenagers] 10/10
Haha what a fun song. Careful around your parents though, very explicit. It's just so fun to sing, fun to dance, fun to just yell. Another one of MCR's songs where they just let loose and said, "Whatever!"
12. [Disenchanted] 11/10
This would be my personal favorite on the album. It's just an overall sad/slow great song. Starts with an acoustic guitar riff that sounds very soothing, and then leads into this of guitar chords full of emotion. The guitar in the chorus is just a slower version of the guitar in "Headfirst For Halos" from the debut. The feel of the song is almost exactly like "Everytime" by Simple Plan, just better in every aspect.
13. [Famous Last Words] 10/10
Who could not like this song? It's just the greatest ending song ever, and it's basically MCR sending off a goodbye to all their fans "See ya in two years from now with completely new stuff!" Great song!
Overall, I'd rate this album 95/100. From the first song to the last, you just have everything expected of MCR or any album.
Free Music Review: Thank God! Someone Opened a New Door!
Hit: 5 Stars
When I first heard My Chemical Romance's single for "The Black Parade", and heard the band saying things like this was so different it was their 'alter-ego', I was quite skeptical. I had come to know the Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge My Chem, and the I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love My Chem, and wasn't looking forward in the least bit to a band that was traveling back down the old pathways of David Bowie and The Beatles.
But, I still bought the CD the day it was released, being a true fan.
And I was not disappointed in the least bit.
The disc opens up with an acoustic rock song [The End.](and demonstrates the RIGHT way to rock out on an acoustic guitar), that segways perfectly into a flat line, and the next song Dead!. The song is very bouncy and adorned with the classic morbid lyrics and harmonies My Chemical Romance is famous for, and not to mention trumpets adding to a fuller sound, and Ray Toro's famous guitar solos.
The next song is classic My Chem, complete with minor chord arrangements and fabulously dark and deathly references. A choir can be heard behind Ray's solo during the break down.
`The Sharpest Lives' is a perfect combination of TCFSR and IBYMB, YBMYL, and reminds us that they still are the same guys.
The title track opens with a simple piano, layering with each passing second with Gerard's vocals, Bob's marching-band-like drumbeat, xylophones, and Ray and Frank's guitars. It then kicks it up a notch and goes into a driving, melancholy anthem that would make Green Day proud.
Following, is a short but sweet ballad entitled `I Don't Love You', with lyrics that seem to be lifted right from a Audrey Hepburn film.
The song `House of Wolves' is very jazzy and has a awesome bass line thanks to Mike Way, and riveting lead guitar.
The following song is the most realistic song, and gut-wrenching, song that My Chem has written to date, being about cancer, and what the patients experience going through the process. It is simply piano, but eerie and beautiful.
The middle-eastern vibe runs though the song `Mama', which appears to have been written for some Broadway rock-opera show. It also has a guest appearance from the cabernet diva herself, Lisa Minnelli, and Frank Iero and Gerard and Mikey Way's mothers.
The track `Sleep' in next in line, originally intended to be the last track. Although it is not an album highlight, it is still a well-crafted song.
`Teenagers' is a 70's punk song based on today's culture which made me laugh hysterically upon hearing the truthful lyrics.
The rock-ballad `Disenchanted' is the most memorable song that I have heard in a long time. Although the melody reminded me of the George Michael song `Last Christmas' when I heard the bootlegged demo, the album version has proven itself to be a classic song that could possibly be on the soundtrack to many, many teen-angst ridden movies.
The last song on the album, `Famous Last Words', is a favorite of many of the band members. It a classic anthem, complete with a catchy and enlightening chorus and memorable bridge, pounding drums and fat bass, and guitars that seem to be singing themselves.
******I have read multiple other reviews on Amazon, and have to say that I sadly disagree with many of the upset people of today's society. Music today seems to be at a standstill, with labels pumping out cookie-cutter emo bands left and right (I am restraining my self from listing the recycled, generic bands). They are reusing and sharing each other's ideas, with is good, in a sense, but is not going to make any progress musically what so ever. My Chemical Romance has decided to raise the bar and expand rock in a new way. When they created this album, they created the next chapter in the Book of Rock. Although they may have taken a step back in time with their style, they have taken a step forward in music. And that alone has made all the difference.******
Free Music Review: One Huge Step Towards World Domination
Hit: 5 Stars
So, Three Cheers was great in all its angsty punk glory, but let's face it -- you can only go so far with a gaggle of heavy, screaming Hot Topic anthems. But My Chemical Romance have proven once again that they're not afraid to be daring, or to improve themselves. With their third studio LP The Black Parade, they may have their first real shot at mainstream success.
The concept for TBP is based on the story of the life and death of The Patient, a man who dies of cancer after undergoing several chemo treatments, and lead singer Gerard's belief that when you die, Death comes for you in the form of your strongest memory. (In the case of The Patient, it is the memory of his father taking him into the big city to see a marching band as a young boy, hence "The Black Parade".) One thing that'll surprise you about the record is how far a cry it is from its two predecessors, in that it's almost entirely lacking in MCR's signature agression and anger, which is instead replaced by a sense of finality, acceptance of fate, and regret. The music itself is also noticeably different, with melodic piano pieces on "Welcome to the Black Parade", "The End", "Sleep" and "Cancer", and a markedly dissimilar use of guitars and drums on tracks like "Mama" and "House of Wolves". This isn't to say that the boys have lost their original essence, it's just a sign that their music has matured for the better, as they themselves have.
One particular standout track on the CD is "Cancer", a melancholic, almost dauntingly beautiful ballad in which The Patient has a conversation with his lover regarding the little time he has left to live. While it's similar to Three Cheers' "The Ghost of You" in that they share the same sense of sadness and loss, the thing that sets the two apart is its overall sense of conclusiveness, and The Patient's acceptance of the fact that he's going to die, and soon. It's probably my favorite song, not restricted to the material on the album, or the thing they've previously recorded, but of all time, because of its sentimentality and rawness.
The rest of the songs on the record are by no means sub-par. In fact, they're all massive improvements from prior recordings. (I'm not saying I don't like the last two albums, I'm just saying.) Songs like "Mama", "This Is How I Disappear","The Sharpest Lives", and "Famous Last Words" are all classically My Chemical Romance, but including the new sound that laces each track on the album. "Teenagers" is a darkly venturesome song about how the media pressures teenagers to be the cookie-cutter, All-American girl/guy. ("They're gonna clean up your looks/ With all the lies in the books/ To make a citizen out of you".) "Disenchanted" is a very different, slightly perplexing track that the band was originally not very fond of. (Well, all but Mikey.) The lyrics of each song are notably deeper and more personal than those of the previous albums, and fit the music of each track like an expensive suit after a $60 tailoring job, which makes the record all the more entertaining.
Well, folks, there you have it. The boys of MCR have shown me that there really are no bounds to how much better a band can get at what they do, even when I though they were too good improve themselves any more. If you haven't bought the record yet, let this be your cue to treat yourself to an enchanting musical experience that will change the way you look at punk forever. (Okay, I exaggerate -- it won't do that, but it's great, I promise.) If you thought that MCR had already enjoyed their fifteen minutes of fame, you were sorely mistaken. They've only just begun, and the revolution starts here.
Free Music Review: A winner whether you like it or not
Hit: 5 Stars
The biggest cry that people make against My Chemical Romance is that they are an emo copy-cat band. They have said time and time again that they originally were this way to get into the industry. However, as they evolved from their first album to their second (VERY easily noticed) their third takes yet another massive step forward as it delves into the realms of classic rock at its best.
The biggest and most obvious influences here, notably even mentioned by the band itself in multiple interviews, are three rock masterpieces. These are The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," Pink Floyd's "The Wall," and Queen's "A Night at the Opera."
Sgt. Pepper's influence is noticable right before you even put the CD in the player. Open up the booklet and the first two things you'll notice are the old newspaper-styled formatting and the photo of the band in black and white "death" versions of the clothes of the band members of "Sgt. Pepper's..." Beyond that, there is notably the very experimental feel in entire album, and some songs even seem to have a gentle yet brilliant anthem-like sound to them.
Queen's influence, as well as Pink Floyd's, comes in the overall quirkiness in the album, which can also somewhat be said about Sgt. Pepper's. The track "Mama" sounds like it could be right off "The Wall" (no pun intended) both in its sound and its lyrical content as well as possibly taking a certain level of direct inspiration from "Bohemian Rhapsody." The final hidden track of the album, Blood, sounds an awful lot like the short but brilliant Queen track "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon," albeit being a tad more vulgar (though offering the same sort of hilarity in the song on both the uncut AND edited versions of the album nonetheless).
Where the album stands strong is with its catchiness and its power to hook you in. Even though the first single, "Welcome to the Black Parade," was overplayed to the point no one wanted to hear it anymore (similar to with Green Day. I still say American Idiot was a genuine masterpiece), it really does strike a nerve somewhere. It's a powerful song and truly one of the best on the album.
Two other singles, "Famous Last Words" and "Teenagers" are also among the many highlights on this album. The latter of the two is so catchy that you will find yourself screaming everywhere "TEENAGERS SCARE THE LIVING S--T OUTTA ME!" The last single, "I Don't Love You," is a solid song, but there was a much greater potential in songs like "Dead!", "House of Wolves" and the true winner on this album "Cancer." The last song mentioned there is especially powerful when you have seen a person die or dying of cancer as the song is told from the perspective of someone with it. It's very grim and very sad.
Where many will consider them to be "emo" is in the overlying and highly prevalent theme of death. However, where this theme is most commonly and strongly used here is in the idea of moving on past death and understanding it better. I personally feel the examination into it is very thorough and almost feels like you're seeing a person's life in your mind as you listen to this album.
Overall, as mentioned in the very title, this album is a winner, whether you believe they are "emo" or not. This is a band with a future and a lot of potential. I, like many others, will keep an eye on them in the future and I highly recommend that if you have not yet picked up this album, do so. You may find yourself with the same sort of fixated eye as myself.
*****5 stars*****