This is my track by track review and first thoughts after my first listen. It will be interesting to read this back in 6 months or a year to see if I still agree with myself.
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
Everyone already knows this track inside and out and so it's hard to give a fair assessment in comparison to the other songs. I'd say this is the most cartoonish and comic track on the album, also one of the hardest to compare to anything ever heard before. It's not metal, it's not punk, it's a tiny bit pop but it's hardly Britney. I guess for that reason it sums up the new sound of this album perfectly....it's hard to put your finger on that 'new sound'.
Bulletproof Heart
10 seconds in and I had a tear in my eye. It has a similar feel to The Only Hope For Me Is You to begin with but then it kicks in and has a great retro feel to it. It's never heavy but it's got a lot of body to it. It would make a fantastic single and I think a better one than Sing to be honest. We also get a mention of Jenny of Killers fame. I think I'm in love with this song and drew a little heart in my notes. Really quite breathtaking on first listen.
Sing
Another song we've all had time to digest and the second single. This was a grower for me but I really like it now I've had a good few listens. It's one of the less crazy songs on the album and for that reason quite a safe choice for a single but at the same time it's nothing like any other MCR song you've heard before and so it seemed to me like a big risk for them as a band to put out to their fans. It's paid off though because 95% of people I know seem to like it.
Planetary (GO!)
I first heard this live when they played Hammersmith Apollo and couldn't believe how catchy and energetic it was. I wondered if it was just because I was in the middle of the crowd at their first UK tour date since forever and was simply fuelled by the excitement but no, this song makes you want to jump up and dance! Gerard almost (and I emphasise almost) raps for want of a better word. It's so hard to explain this song but I think it's going to be a favourite for most MCR fans, just heavy enough for the old timers and catchy enough for the Three Cheer brigade. A great all rounder.
The Only Hope For Me Is You
Beautiful. I adore this song and the fact that it has an electro feel at the start and a real post-apocalyptic vibe running through it just makes it a very visual...if that makes any sense. I think anyone who has every seen themselves as a screw up and a head-case and then met that someone who accepts every fault they have and still adores them will know the strength of this song. Slower than other on the album but destined to become something of an anthem to the MCRmy.
Party Poison
This song reminded me of House Of Wolves a little (which is my least favourite MCR song) and certainly has a more raw, rock sound to it. But it's jumpy too. They really have put out a rock dance album and done it seamlessly and this song perfectly highlights that. I have a feeling this song will grow on me but right now it's probably my least favourite on the album.
Save Yourself (I'll Hold Them Back)
I think this song has a classic American rock sound to it. Not dancey like a lot of the other songs. It's catchy and has some classic lyrics like "I'll tell you all how the story ends, well the good guys die and the bad guys win (Who cares!), It ain't about all the friends you've made but the graffiti they write on your grave". I'd already given this song a good few listens and in some respects I'm not sure it fits as well with some of the more 'out there' songs on the album but it's a solid album track that you'd find hard not to like.
S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W
This song is C/R/A/Z/Y. It's some seriously psychedelic, out there, music making. At times I reminded of The Beatles' Strawberry Fields and other times it was like listening to The Stone Roses. I'd heard this song was mental and I thought I wouldn't like it but I really do. It's so 90's in places I can't help but think Mikey must have had a real influence on it. Along with Na Na Na it's one of the tracks that really sum up Danger Day despite sounding like no other track on the album.
Summertime
MCR history for the line "You can run away with me any time you want."
Destroya
One of the most metal songs on the album but one that also have a 90's grunge feel to it in some respects. Quite a raw, dirty song which includes Gerard groaning (one for the fangirls ;)). Not a favourite of mine and one I didn't make many notes on, probably for that very reason.
The Kids From Yesterday
Another song I drew a heart next to and shed a tear for. Just brilliant! Also another track with an 80's vibe (I adore the 80's by the way), it reminded me in an odd way of Nena's 99 Red Balloons but fresher. One of my new favourite lyrics is "You only hear the music when your heart begins to break.." and I'm sure I'll get a tattoo of that one. It reminds me of being young and having no responsibilities and questioning what you've become. I simple can't get enough of this song.
Vampire Money
PUNK! Pure and simple punk in the style of Jim Carroll Band and The Sex Pistols both of which I can hear on this track. It's a fantastic end to an epic album where they take off all of their costumes and persona's, strip down the sound and give us Gerard, Frank, Ray and Mikey in their rawest form, even addressing themselves by name at the start. Plus you can't have an MCR album without a mention of vampires, even if this one is about everyone selling out for that vampire money.
And that my friends is it. I've never had so much fun listening to an album and the video that played along with it was enjoyable too. Dr. Death Defying was the perfect host for the evening and I can't wait to get my hands on the actual album on Monday.
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