Review Summary: The bastard child of Morrisey, Bowie, Pulp, and The Smiths is actually...good?
The aftermath: Part I
When My Chemical Romance broke up, no one wondered if there were going to be solo careers emerging in the aftermath. We all knew that there would inevitably be such. In fact, some of us probably dreaded it, especially with some of the music that came before it. Every member went in a different direction. Mikey Way, the bassist, took off with all The Cure and Tears for Fears influences and formed an extremely underground synth rock band. Frank Iero, rhythm guitarist, took all the angry punk energy and spirit into his own solo projects. Ray Toro took all the Queen-esque dramatic elements and...fell off the map. So what did Gerard, fangirl frontman extraordinaire, do? Well, he listened to his favorite British alternative artists, said, "I wanna do that!", and delivered his own take on Britpop. The poster child of Emo-Punk crafting Britpop -- on paper this sounds like a terribly bad idea. Surprisingly, Mr. Way has not only created something that's not bad, it's actually quite good.
If there's something this LP reveals about Gerard, it's that he was nowhere near as punk or as bombastic as we originally thought him to be. Alone, you'll find a stripped down, mature, and geekier version of the persona we've known on previous albums. This LP showcases his most restrained performance yet, pulling back the curtain to reveal the tender, awkward man that Way really is behind the theatric bravado. For once, his lyrics are simple and lack an overarching theme. No concept albums to be found here. On this project resides his most transparent lyrics, touching on topics like the price of fame, social anxiety, and his relationship with his brother while still retaining his signature phrasing. Standouts "Millions" and "Brother" represent the essence of the album, with earworm hooks and nuanced guitar pop instrumentals. The album reaches its climax with "How it's Going to be", with a rolling drumbeat that is nothing if not infectious, and is everything that Way was shooting for, amounting to the best track on the record. The vocals are sublime, and the keyboard solo in the last third of the song is the defining moment of the whole record.
Despite containing some of the most mature and catchy songs of his career, Way missteps more than a couple of times. The heaviest song on the album, "Juarez" sounds like a discarded Frank Iero track. Containing the worst vocal track on the record, "Juarez" becomes especially grating as the song progresses. "The Bureau" lags and is a poor opener, lacking any clear hooks and memorable vocals. The buzz saw riff on "Get the Gang Together" while interesting at first, gets boring quickly due to its lack of variation. The closer, "Maya the Psychic", while not a bad song, proves a poor choice to the far superior track before it. In fact, "Going" was so good that it makes "Maya" look bad, and would better serve the album if the two songs were switched in the track listing.
As a whole, this album is Gerard's rejection of his place as the clown prince of scene. This new image is no emo/pop punk idol, but rather is a polar opposite of the guyliner'd person we've seen on magazines and the internet fansites. Instead we have an aging punk realizing youth isn't forever and learning to pull his punches. Gerard excels in this form, and while not a perfect album, this Hesitant Alien is nothing to scoff at. My Chemical Romance may be dead, but Gerard certainly isn't. Our alien has grown up and giving his former band mates some serious competition. Let's see how this goes.
