REVIEW: Artists dabbles in evil-fighting
There are certain things in this world that we have a natural aversion to. These things are different for different people, but some of mine include the local landfill, cuddling with my roommates and human excrement. In the process of life we learn to overcome the awkwardness that these things may cause us, but some we never get over.
For a time, my list included the band My Chemical Romance. It may have been the face-painting, the drug references or their explosion of popularity, but I didn’t think much of them. Then they released their single “The Black Parade,” and the clearly Queen-influenced band started to intrigue me. Of course, the song got way too much play time and needed a rest from the radio waves after a while, but the Brian May-like guitar solos caught my attention.
About a week ago they released a new album, “Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.” Similar to their last album, “The Black Parade,” this one builds up a kind of alternate persona for the band. The band members adopt new identities as vigilantes that are fighting against some huge evil corporation.
This idea of a rock band fighting evil is hardly an original one. The Aquabats have been doing it for years. Well, to be honest, the Aquabats are actually superheroes that happen to be in a rock band, not a rock band that fights evil. I guess the difference is a subtle one. There are quite a few differences between the Aquabats and My Chemical Romance, but the notable ones are these:
1. The Aquabats win their battles against despair and evil.
2. My Chemical Romance has better guitar solos.
3. My Chemical Romance has cooler guns, but the Aquabats’ lead singer has a mustache, so it equals out in the end.
The album opens up with the voice of Dr. Death Defying, who offers himself as the radio-DJ guide through this musical, evil-fighting adventure. He describes himself as “Louder than God’s revolver and twice as shiny.” I never knew that God needed a revolver, but whatever. He gives us an update about halfway through the album, advising the listener that two members of the crew, Jet-star and the Kobra Kid “had a clap with an exterminator that went all Puerto Rico and got themselves dusted.”
I’m not really sure what it means to “go Puerto Rico,” but the statement is really entertaining.
Those little interjections from the radio show host interrupt songs such as “Na Na Na,” a nice little song about killing people, blowing stuff up and selling drugs. It’s really catchy, though.
The songs tend to have less-than-incredible lyrics. They seem to mostly just be angry lines that happened to fit the meter of the song. Admittedly, young rock bands generally aren’t known for their poetic ability, but that is often the difference between a good song and a great one. They make up for the sub-par lyrics with a great rock sound, not over-produced or synthesized. And, the guitar solos still remind me of late ’70s and early ’80s rock bands, so I approve of that wholeheartedly.
In “Bulletproof Heart,” they actually get a really great line in, albeit a slightly violent one: “I got a bulletproof heart, you got a hollow-point smile.” The comparison of the girl’s smile to a type of bullet banned in certain states was very witty.
Towards the end of the album, the song “Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back” gives you an idea of how the battle against evil is going. The line “I’ll tell you how the story ends. Well, the good guys die and the bad guys win,” is particularly revealing.
And, of course, to end the album is another statement from radio host Dr. Death Defying. He explains that “The lights are out and the party’s over,” that he’s going to be on the run now, but takes the time to warns us about the sun burning us up if we stay still too long. What a thoughtful guy! He even plays the Star-Spangled Banner before signing off.
Overall, it was a decent album. Not incredible, not earth-shattering, but definitely OK. The musical side of the album made up for what was lacking in the lyric department, but I still like it better when good prevails. Maybe My Chemical Romance should have called up the MC Bat Commander for some help, instead of that Dr. Death Defying guy. Well, I guess you can’t have it all.
– rex.colin.mitchell@aggiemail.usu.edu