My Chemical Romance

Sometimes you can enjoy a band that you don’t necessarily admire. My Chemical Romance’s first record was a poor construction of bland songwriting and an aesthetic that screamed middle school. With The Black Parade, however, MCR wears a more grown up kitsch on its collective sleeve. The Black Parade is a concept album about death that teems with ostentation. Gerard Way tries on Freddie Mercury’s larger than life vocals, going so far as to enlist Liza Minelli for help on “I Don’t Love You.” Almost a cartoon, MCR goes way, way over the top with strings and 80’s-esque guitar harmonies. Many of the lyrics may fall flat, and songs like “Teenagers” are just silly, but there is something wonderful about just how outrageous this album gets. Perhaps The Mars Volta faired better with a similar concept, but MCR is no longer a band we can write off as unambitious.