Review Summary: It'd take a ridiculously great album to live up to this amount of hype. Excluding the lead single, this isn't anywhere near that level.
Punk rock and ambitious concepts? Love it or hate it, American Idiot was a hell of an influential record, combining bombast with this rather trivial music genre in a way that didn't seem likely to succeed. Since then, a bunch of bands tried to replicate this bloated approach, with mixed results. My Chemical Romance did a pretty decent job actually, adding a truckload of pathos to their infectious songwriting, and the end effect was the much renowned The Black Parade. Four years ago, the guys made a pretty sturdy record, filled with diverse and memorable songs tinged with a unique approach. A popular band became huge.
Truth be told, My Chemical Romance had a grueling task ahead of them – how to follow up a pretty epic, yet also musically solid and varied record in a way that won't feel like a failure in one way or another? The band seemed keen on a slightly cowardly, yet not devastatingly idiotic way out that involved making a stripped down, return-to-roots record. The other extreme would involve sinking further into pathos. Pick the lesser of two evils, as one way or another you're bound to shed a bit of your fan base. The guys took their time, that's for sure... and eventually reemerged, a plan hatched in their heads.
Their final choice turned out to be different altogether, as they pull a sideways Green Day again. My Chemical Romance's new image looks like a hyperactive kid got left unsupervised with a pristine set of realistic Black Parade era member figurines and the most neon-colored paint the world has ever seen, and the first single lived up to any expectations fans might have had after the long wait coupled with the new approach. Sporting a ridiculously fun smooth-talking biker narrator, the most stupidly catchy riff this side of the music industry and just enough bombast to evoke the days of old while introducing an all new concept, “Na Na Na” is instant gratification in the word's purest form, and it sure kicks off the album in fantastic fashion, increasing expectations for what is to follow.
And this is where the problem at hand starts... My Chemical Romance feels heavily hand-tied, and they fail to live up to the years of hype and the quality of the single. As the track numbers increase on the player, it becomes painfully apparent that all they have after these four years is the lead single and the surprisingly awesome smooth-talking biker. Forget firm, diverse tracks, the likes of which they were capable of crafting in 2006. The songs blend into each other in the worst way possible – the majority of them lack any sort of identifying factor, and time flies by with this soaring in one ear and out the other. It's like the band tried to make an album that will be fully likable, and lost any sense of identity or content in the process. Those who desperately want to enjoy it will manage to enjoy it, as a few of the chord progressions utilized are reminiscent of The Black Parade, and a handful of the songs are somewhat more up-tempo, trying to liven up the overt staleness of the offering.
A few of the tunes try to be memorable, with mixed results. “Bulletproof Heart” is easily the second best song on here, sporting some toe-tapping music ideas and resolving the pent-up momentum of “Na Na Na” with style. “The Only Hope For Me Is You” can be forgiven as a single, as it doesn't stoop below pure mediocre and feebly tries to stand apart from the other tracks. The only thing that can be said about the rest of the album after repeated listens is that “Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back” sounds like Orson, and this wasn't necessarily a compliment. It's like that ridiculously bad electronic intro to “Planetary” is the perfect ATTENTION – OFF signal for the listener's brain. I'm curious what will be their next single from this...
Attempting to defend the band, it's not that My Chemical Romance didn't try to add anything to their sound. They experimented with the aforementioned electronics (with pretty disastrous results, too). However, they don't seem to be intent on trying to find anything unique or solid this time around – flirting with synthesizers has become conventional in the circle of their widely perceived peers. The band is trying to play it safe, offering up yet another image of themselves and backing it up with one bombastic single and a sea of ultimately meaningless muzak whilst sprinkling in synths to look forward-thinking whilst being acceptable. All in all, instead of a partial failure, My Chemical Romance ends up with a pretty throughout dud that mixes the worst possible aspects of wanting to stick with The Black Parade's pathos whilst attempting to run away from it, showcasing hand-tied songwriting that is afraid to incorporate any attempt at musical diversity or quality in some sort of inexplicable self-limitation, and ends up showing the band as a shadow of their former selves. Here's to hoping that they refocus for the next one, they have potential...
...but yeah, “Na Na Na” is awesome.
