CD Review: My Chemical Romance
The Black Parade
By Cari Holland
Debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 album chart, The Black Parade is My Chemical Romance’s third full-length album release.
For their junior attempt, My Chemical Romance just might have established themselves within the bustling emo/post-punk market, having sold 240,000 copies of their album the first week of release, according to the band’s publicist.
A noteworthy approach to graphics and text caught my attention as I first inspected the new CD and opened the accompanying booklet. The booklet folds out to be a poster. In the photograph the lead singer, Gerard Way, looks scarily like Billy Corgan with his freshly dyed blonde hair.
Typically with the first listen of a CD, tracks one through the last are listened to in succession, but after one minute and fifteen seconds of song number one I found myself skipping ahead to songs that had interesting titles.
The title track, “Welcome to the Black Parade,” is an anthem that may take some time to get used to. I almost didn’t give it that long, but once I had, I heard a triumphant and loud marching parade resounding from my speakers.
The song that followed is one titled “I Don’t Love You,” which I found to be my favorite on the disc. A much slower song than the previous, this track almost sounds like a completely different band. This song could be a plausible radio release.
The song “Cancer,” is one that begins with a simple voice and piano, an unexpected sound compared to most of the disc.
“Mama” is a disgrace to the progress the band has made with this album. “Mama” has a confusing song structure, a polka beat I could live without, and a harsh ending that leads into an accompaniment by Liza Minelli.
Songs on this CD to download to your iPod: “Disenchanted,” “I Don’t Love You” and “The Sharpest Lives.”
Songs you can live without ever hearing: “Blood (the hidden track),” “Mama” and “Teenagers.”
Yeah, someone does need to tell that man to do something less strange with his hair. I liked the way it was in the “Ghost of You” vid. He almost looked normal. Liza Minelli? They are involved with her because….?
As for the music, thus far I have only heard two songs, and although they were good, something tells me that “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” was better. Those are my thoughts on the matter.
I think it’s appropriate that Liza Minelli appears on this album, especially since Gerard Way (the lead singer) has begun to bear a striking resemblance to her. Can someone please tell him to do something about his hair?