Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

I've always been conflicted about My Chemical Romance.On one hand, they've written some great songs. Quite a few, actually! But on the other hand, I've never found their obsession with "death as a metaphor for well, everything" to be all that interesting when stretched out to full album- and career-length. It just gets... exhausting.Which is exactly why Danger Days is such an amazing surprise. It takes all of MCR's greatest strengths - their melodic intensity, blistering vocals, and wide dramatic sweep - and removes the self-pity; replacing it almost wholesale with a sense of excitement and pure headlong ambition. Also, cyberpunk.What?Yes. As in, "motorcycles and bionic arms" cyberpunk. As in, less Edward Gorey, and way more Akira. Also way more synthesizers, pirate radio DJs, laser beams, and a veritable headrush of unexpected pop influences ranging from here to Black Eyed Peas.It should be completely ridiculous. And it kind of is. But it's ridiculous in the good way-- the "I can't believe they went this far" way-- and, ironically, by not taking itself so seriously, it ends up being in many ways a more impactful experience than their previous records; by turns epic, exhilarating, romantic, and wistful. (As opposed to sad, extra-sad, cancer, and dead.) It's a crazier world, sure-- but a far more vivid one. An exciting one. One you didn't expect.Apparently My Chemical Romance got bored of being their own stereotype.PROS:-Good, deep production - loud, and catchy, but with quieter layers of synth, effects, and vocal harmonies to reward multiple listens-Evocative lyrics that toe the line between drama, irony, and humor with an unexpected self-awareness-Stylistic experimentation across a wide range of influences that is both bold and more than a little crazy-Suggests an intriguing action-cyberpunk-ish premise without being trite, confusing, or pretentious-Is awesomeCONS:-Less personal and confessional in tone (which is probably more of a "pro" but still bears mentioning)-Might inspire you to write really long reviews about how cool it is, wasting valuable time that could be spent listening to "Destroya" over and over and over again-The end of "Goodnite Dr. Death" is painfully, obnoxiously loud and it could probably break something if you aren't careful, so consider yourself warned about thatVERDICT:It's fresh, it's funny, it's angry, and it's loud. It sounds like the future. And it may be my favorite album of the year.I'm as surprised as anyone.

I own this album in both the CD and vinyl format. The photos that make up the lyric book in the CD are also what make up the inside artwork for the vinyl. The lyrics are also included on the vinyl insert. The vinyl itself is a standard black 180 gram pressing, and the label has the spider logo, which is a cool addition. Since this is a single vinyl LP I thought that it was a bit strange for it to come in a gatefold jacket, but it's great that it allows you to have the beautiful photographs as part of the album artwork. When you hear this album, it doesn't seem like it would translate well onto vinyl, but I can assure you that it sounds absolutely amazing, you can really hear all of the incredible layers of sound in all of the songs.Musically, I don't think that this album will ever compare to Three Cheers or The Black Parade, but this album was never meant to live up to those albums, it was made to stand on its own. Once you separate Danger Days from MCR's earlier albums, you can appreciate it for how incredible it truly is. This album is a masterpiece in its own right, each song is well crafted and they all work together to create a story for the listener. The singles from this album (Na Na Na, Sing, and Planetary) are all amazing songs, but the other tracks are all equally incredible. My personal favorites are S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W, Save Yourself I'll Hold Them Back, Destroya, and The Only Hope For Me Is You. Destroya and Save Yourself are both high energy songs that carry a very strong beat. S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W is my absolute favorite track on this album, it is so different from any other song the band has done, and it is very emotional. If you listen to its lyrics, you can really hear the emotion that was invested into it. Overall, this album is absolutely incredible even though it was a huge step in a different direction for the band. Listen to this album straight through, including the spoken tracks, before you make your judgement on this album. This album is absolutely incredible, and I think that it is a great representation of the talent in My Chem. Definitely check this album out!

My Chemical Romance has never disappointed me. I've never heard an album of theirs and thought: "This is just bad." But I don't think I've ever been as excited about a MCR album as I was about this one. The second I got it, I started listening to it on full blast, all the way through, and I didn't stop for a week or so. I was pretty much in awe. This isn't just the best thing MCR has done ever, it may be the best album I've heard all year (or at least it's in the top 5).There isn't any part of Danger Days that drags. It's fast-paced, it's fun, it's sometimes extremely touching. It has a concept that it sticks to throughout, but all of the songs could also make sense out of context. It's the kind of CD that you could listen to over and over and not be bored.Danger Days shows a lot of musical talent, a great understanding of showmanship, even if it's just through speakers, songwriting ability, and fantastic focus on detail. It doesn't just tell a story, it creates its own world.It's sort of like they took everything they've ever tried to accomplish on an album and turned it up to 11. I, for one, am so impressed and thrilled that it exists.I was planning on listing highlights of the album, but now I'm having trouble picking just a few. I'll give it a try though. The favorites of mine that really stood out for me were "Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back," S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W," "Summertime," "Destroya," and "The Kids From Yesterday."

its my chemical romance! whats there to hate? it showed up on time, it had the sleeve with a sticker on it that i was able to salvage, and it had the insert with lyrics and information about the costumes that i was soo excited to have. great cd.