Emo has become a bit of a joke.
Grown up men wearing too much black, moaning and whining about anything and
everything? No ta. The leaders of emo, My Chemical Romance are now on album
number three with The Black Parade, and this time around they knew they had to
think up something pretty special if they were going to be anything other than
men who wore too much black.
Singer
Gerard Way bleaching his hair is a good
start, but naturally the music has got to hold up too. Working with Green Day cohort Rob Cavallo,
what MCR deliver is something that at times is as musically loud and exuberant
as the punky Green Day and as theatrical as queen. Mama, featuring Liza Minnelli (yes her,
believe it or not) is a case in point. A concept album revolving around a dying
cancer patient, the lyrics aren’t exactly the most upbeat you’ll ever come
across (“you never fell in love/did you get what you deserve?”), but on Famous
Last Words, they end on a positive note proclaiming: “I’m not afraid to keep living/
I am not afraid to walk this world alone”.
Rating: 3/5
Label: Reprise
Info: www.mychemicalromance.com
Words: Helen Duong
