On another, happier, note. I am pleased to announce that My Chemical Romance's new album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is now out. I'm currently listening to it as I type this. I'm going to post my review in a second which you'll find nothing but positive things.
So here's my review:
It’s been four years since My Chemical Romance put out The Black Parade, but don’t worry, they’re back! Their new album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys came out on November 22nd, and if I wasn’t getting it for Christmas, then I would’ve been the first in line.
All the My Chemical Romance albums have all been concept albums. I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love was about two Bonnie and Clyde type characters who are eventually gunned down in the desert. Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge was a sequel of sorts to the first album. The Black Parade was about a man who was dying from cancer.
This album might be their most creative yet. Originally set to be a comic book written by lead singer, Gerard Way came up with along with comic book artists Shaun Simon and Becky Cloonan it turned out to be their next album. It’s still being written as a comic book, don’t worry.
It’s 2019 and it all goes down in Battery City, California and the surrounding zones. Better Living Industries (also known as BL/ind which is run by Korse and his draculoids) run Battery City, controlling the minds of its habitants into thinking that they don’t need companionship or anything else, only the pills that BL/ind is ready to offer. And to make sure your soul is safe after death, they also advertise a Soul Protection Plan.
The Killjoys, made up of Party Poison (Gerard Way), Kobra Kid (Mikey Way), Fun Ghoul (Frank Iero), Jet Star (Ray Toro), are here to stop BL/ind from destroying humanity and have a wild time while they’re doing it. Helping them are Dr. Death Defying, Grace, and Show Pony along with all of us Killjoys.
We first knew something was up when several twitter accounts started up: Bob Fillmore, Gary Levko, Tommy Chow Mein, DJ Hot Chimp, Agent Cherri Cola, Party Poison, NewsAGoGo, Dr Death Defying, and the transmission page- Transmissions19.
We first got a chance to listen to the album when Dr. Death Defying posted his listening party on YouTube and I am excited as ever to tell you about the fun tracks that are on this album.
The album starts off with Dr. Death Defying starting off his radio show and then we make the easy transition in Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) which is the first single off the album and gives us a good introduction into the Killjoy’s world. It’s an upbeat song that surely going to get stuck in your head with the repetition of Na, Na, Na and the catchy beat.
Next we have Bulletproof Heart, a personal favourite of mine. It starts off as a slow song but then it picks up. It has a kind of futuristic sound the Killjoys are looking for. It’s the theme song for the triumphant runaways.
The second single off the album is SING. When you hear SING, you think of everyone getting together, holding hands, and singing it loud and clear for the world to hear. The song basically tells you to express yourself, in any way possible. It’s one of those emotional songs that are on every album and has been compared to I Don’t Love You and Ghost of You from the band’s previous albums.
We hear the alarm sounding and then Planetary (GO!) starts up. The world is ending and they’re always being chased by BL/ind but the Killjoys don’t care. They just party and have a good time while they still can.
The Only Hope for Me Is You is about when you’ve seen so much horror and destruction that you’re finally on your way towards a little bit of hope. It’s a song that you can play multiple times in a row without ever getting sick of listening to it.
Party Poison starts off with a Japanese woman rambling on and then the fun starts. It used to be Death Before Disco before it was renamed. One might think it would be all about partying but it’s all about Party Poison, a potent substance, enough to kill all parties.
Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back is one of several songs that are sort of a uniting force for the gang in the Zones as well as for the band and the fans. It says that we can do whatever we want without any consequences if we have the time. This song reminds me of the band’s older work and is one of my favourite songs on the album.
The next song has a psychedelic, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds feel to it. S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W is the police force in the zones that are after the Killjoys. It’s probably the most themed song from the album and is telling all the Killjoys to run from the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W.
Summertime is an anthem about summer I can see people playing on their stereos while they’re driving around. It’s a slow, love song for the runaways. As the lyrics say; you can run away with me, anytime you want.
DESTROYA starts off with the steady beat of tribal drums in the background. It’s probably one of the more wild songs on the album, releasing all the pent out aggression that the Killjoys have.
Killjoys sometimes had to strap on draculoids masks and that’s what The Kids From Yesterday is about, remembering what we were like when we were kids and how much we’ve changed. It’s one of those songs that makes us think about our pasts and if everything went the way we wanted it to.
My Chemical Romance was one of the first bands to make vampires seem cool so Twilight offered them a lot of money for them to record a song for the movie. Refusing to sell out, My Chemical Romance made all their fans proud and refused the offer, instead writing Vampire Money. The song's about vampires becoming too ridiculously popular and handsome instead of the fearsome creatures they actually are. Like the lyrics say, “Sparkle like Bowie in the morning sun” and “Play it right and drive a Volvo car.”
And that’s it Killjoys. That’s all you get until the next album which I’m already excited for. Or their World Comtamination tour which is coming up so make sure you get your tickets. There were three other tracks I forgot to mention (Look Alive Sunshine, Jet Star and the Kobra Kid/Traffic Report, Goodnite Dr. Death) but they were only Dr. Death Defying’s tuning back in to give us updates from the zones.
So are you ready Crash Queens and Motor Babies? Hold on tight Killjoys, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
I want to give credit where credit's due.
Cassie the Venomous
- mm
