My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade

By now, you've probably already heard My Chemical Romance's new single, "Welcome To The Black Parade," so you're already aware that there's significantly more to the band's latest album than radio and MTV-friendly pop punk. Not that there aren't some good punk tracks on here--quite the contrary, as "The Sharpest Lives" and "House Of Wolves" are some of the finest punk tracks the band has produced--but the overall album owes perhaps more to Queen than The Ramones or The Sex Pistols. "Sleep" is a grand piano ballad, "Famous Last Words" is uplifting glam-influenced rock 'n' roll, and of course that first single is epic, starting off with marching bands and pianos before bursting into progressive pop punk guitars, Gerard Way's emotive wails, and an anthemic bridge with all the theatrics and vocal harmonies of "Bohemian Rhapsody." That sense of musical theater is present throughout this album, but nowhere are the band's cabaret influences as apparent as on "Mama," which features a guest vocal appearance by Liza Minelli in what must be the year's most unlikely musical collaboration. Equally unlikely is "Teenagers," which feels less influenced by glamour and theater than by the gritty southern rock styles of early Steve Miller, but somehow it fits in perfectly between the slashing punk rock guitar moments, piano ballads, and bits of marching band camp. It's hardly fair to call My Chemical Romance a punk band at this point, but don't be fooled by this album's popularity. For once, the masses have gotten it right, because this album is stunning from start to finish.

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