Kicking off with a Warriors-style DJ intro, the record seems to set itself in a post-apocalyptic wasteland of pop culture, bopping along (mostly) happily as the world crumbles. The rest of the album plays like a radio station that has been programmed and performed by My Chemical Romance, hitting multiple styles and genres but always embodying a future-nostalgia.
Folks are already very conscious of the early single "Na Na Na…" whose video features subversive comics writer Grant Morrison (Way is also an accomplished comics author)… and that track and video pretty much define the record. It's fast-paced, catchy pop anthem with punk undertones, and it's effing good.There's a snarl and a wink to the whole album, even though it swings wildly from power-pop jams like "Bulletproof Heart" to ballads like "SING" and dance-infused tracks like "Planetary (Go!)." Influences are very interesting and varied. In addition to drawing from sci-fi movies like Logan's Run and Blade Runner, there are some musical nods here as well. For instance, "DESTROYA" sounds like a three-way between MCR, Jane's Addiction and Nine Inch Nails, the "Party Poison" riff has a Stooges feel, the opening of "Vampire Money" cribs from "Ballroom Blitz." But it never feels like the guys are ripping anyone off: this all feels like a tribute to good, hard-rocking music.
"The Only Hope For Me is You" stands as the lone weak track on the record. It's pretty standard broken heart fare, and uninteresting as a result. Bottom line, though, this album is a lot of fun. It rips by at an intense pace and re-establishes My Chemical Romance as the kings of evolution. There are a ton of possible singles on this release, but more importantly, there are a lot of songs you will want to listen to at high volume in your car. Beyond that, it's an album that begs to be played live, so the recording is only the beginning of Danger Days...
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