Review Summary: My Chemical Romance's final full lengthened LP proves to be their most effective.
A lot has been said about the album Danger days since it's initial release some five years ago. Lots of people praise the band for taking a different direction in their music, while others abhorred the bands new sound. One thing is for sure, the band has always been good at making concept albums. This is evident in releases like 'The Black Parade', where every track in the album contributed to the entire theme. However, their latest album Danger Days surpasses all of their previous albums, as they deliver an entertaining album with lots of fun and engaging songs that fits the theme beautifully.
Right off the bat with the first track 'Na Na Na', it's pretty obvious how different this record is going to be from their previous releases. Instead of going for the dark and moody 'Cure' inspired sound the band is known for, they take a more energetic approach this time around. The chorus is incredibly infectious with the band just repeatedly saying "na na na na na". And they do it in such a way that doesn't irritate the listener, but rather encourages them to sing along. The lyrics are pretty ridiculous, but that's perfect for this song because it doesn't take itself too seriously.
The tone of the album does change to a more somber one on the track 'S.I.N.G'. This song is a beautiful ballad that's sung with such raw emotion from Gerard Way. This is a reoccurring thing on this album, where the band would range from energetic fun tracks to more sadder and somber ones. If you listened to the track 'Planetary (GO)', you would hardly believe that this was the same band that recorded Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. It consists of a variety of weird futuristic sounds and upbeat lyrics. Something very similar to what you'd hear on the Ziggy Stardust album. Which makes sense since Bowie was a major influence for this record. This song however, is one of the weaker ones on this album. The lyrics are nothing to boast over and the chorus is rather bland, with Gerard just repeatedly repeating the words "get up and go!"
The band does however wins us back with the next track 'The Only Hope For Me Is You'. This track consists of more of the electric futuristic sounds on the previous one, however this time it works in their favor. The song starts off somberly, then picks up by the time the chorus hits. The lyrics are also very well written. With memorable phrases like: "If there's a place that I can be, where I'll be another memory, can I be the only hope for you, because you're the only hope for me". This is a sure contender for best track on the album.
The song 'Party Poison' is very similar to 'Na Na Na'. Where it is meant to be fun and energetic, and not meant to take itself seriously. However I do find a lot of people hating this track, and for good reason. The lyrics seeming very bland and lazy. It may seem as if Gerard was just finding random words to rhyme with each other. But it is clear that the band did this purposely. As shown in tracks like 'S.I.N.G' and 'The Only Hope For Me Is You', the band can write meaningful lyrics when they want to. But this time they just wanted to make a fun sounding party song that everyone can dance to. And the song does indeed fits that purpose, and that alone makes it a decent song.
Frank and Ray are key members of MCR. They have amazing chemistry as the two guitarist in the band. This really shows on the track 'Save yourself, I'll hold them back' which is another contender for best track. The song immediately engages the listener as it starts off with a great guitar riff. Then it slowly builds up to an explosive rock song. The guitars are amazing on this track and Ray delivers an awesome solo as well. This is the hardest sounding track on the album and each member does his job of keeping the song alive.
'Summertime' is a beautiful love track. Something that you wouldn't expect to see from MCR. But it fits their style beautifully as the lyrics describe a person who had a rough past, but is now slowly starting to forget it because of his newfound lover. It's a very touching track and really melodic. There is an amazing guitar solo as well. But perhaps whats most engaging is the lyricism. The lyrics are deep and memorable, with lines like: "Turn my headphones up real loud. I don't think I need them now, cause you stopped the noise".
"Destroya" is a nice rock and roll track with nice riffs and a powerful chorus. The only gripe I sort of have with this song is that somewhere in the middle of it, Gerard begins moaning in a quite bizarre way. Maybe Lyn-Z was topping him off in the studio? Who knows. But it's quite bizarre. The final track on the album "vampire Money" is probably the worst possible way to end an enjoyable album such as this. This song probably has absolutely no correlation with the theme of this album. It kind of sounds like someone just threw this track in there randomly to make the album longer. It just sounds like a senseless rock song. It is unfortunate because the band has always ended their albums with wonderful powerful tracks like "Famous Last Words" on the Black Parade album. But they fail short in doing so this time around.
Despite a few mistakes along the road, Danger Days is an enjoyable album through and through. MCR shows in their final effort, that they were just getting started to reach their creative peak. It is an unfortunate shame that they met their demise before they got there.
Favorite Tracks:
Na Na Na
S.I.N.G
The Only Hope For Me Is You
Save yourself, I'll Hold Them Back
Summertime
Destroya
Least Favorite:
Planetary (GO!)
Vampire Money
