Welcome to Rock Music Critic! Check out reviews in the Flash menu above or the static links below. This latest version of the site now includes reviews with an embedded music player so you can listen to whole albums once for free courtesy of Lala.com. Lala doesn't always have an album, but when they do I will include the player. What's easier than listening to an album to decide whether you like it? Feel free to ignore my petty ramblings and just listen to the tunes. That's really the whole point anyway. Up the Irons!! ~ George
My Chemical Romance
The Black Parade
"The Black Parade" is in strong contention to be my personal album of the year. This album came from out of nowhere to surprise and amaze me as few albums ever do anymore. But let me back up a bit before getting into the heaping praise part.
I've had a passing curiosity with My Chemical Romance prior to this release. They seemed like just another average Emo-goth-whiny band when their last album came out. So I wasn't exactly waiting with baited breath for this new album. But that all changed when I heard the first single "Welcome to the Black Parade".
Possibly inspired by Green Day's punk rock opera "American Idiot," My Chemical Romance decided their new album would be a concept album as well, and would branch out in a different (and riskier) direction than their past work. What they came up with is nothing short of brilliant.
Aside from being terribly catchy (I find myself spontaneously humming songs days after my last listen) these songs experiment with other musical styles and take the band to an entirely different level in the rock pantheon. No longer mere Emo be these boys.
Upon many repeat listens I hear different influences coming to bear on this album. Mainly the whole album feels like it should be a musical, not just because it is a concept record, but because it's so dramatic and theatrical that I could easily see these songs being sung on a Broadway stage instead of a concert stage.
But there is also the aforementioned Green Day influence (though this sounds nothing like Green Day) as well as touches of Jack White/White Stripes and even the classic concept album "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. It's all in there.
What more can I say about this masterpiece? Some people scoff and call this Emo, but those are the people who haven't taken the time to listen to this disc yet. This is pure rock greatness and I recommend it to anyone with working ears and even a passing fancy for music.
