Hellogoodbye, Would It Kill You?

It's been four years since the power-synth-pop quintet hit the world stage with relatively successful debut “Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!”. After various legal battles with their former label, Drive-Thru Records, the band are back with their sophomore effort “Would it Kill You?”. The question is, was it worth the wait?

In short; yes, and then some. The album superbly well crafted, retaining the quirk that popularized the band originally, yet still manages to be completely different to anything you’ve heard by them, or anyone previous. You’re thrown into the thick of things straight from the off. Opening track Finding Something To Do sets the pace of the album, and the themes to be explored; love...well, just love, but that’s what made us like them in the first place. The pace slows for Getting Old, combining ukuleles and the acoustic guitar to compliment the now matured lyrics from lead singer Forrest Kline. Hellogoodbye spent their time off well. They’ve grown as musicians. So far, I love it.

When We First Met follows a pair of young lovers as they reminisce about bygone days, strangely citing the growth of hair, and various styles as the passing of time. What follows bucks the trend of the album so far; a song about breaking up. Betrayed By Bones tells a tale; a tale of a young man who knows his relationship is over. And he has to end it. It really is beautiful. I’m not afraid to say it; it’s by and large my favourite track on the album. Kline could’ve taken the album down a darker route following that. He doesn’t. The album has a break out moment. You Sleep Alone is the culmination of anger and despair. A wail of voices and electric surrounds the track, a mess of keys bridge it. It’s the track with the most appeal, let’s put it that way.

When We First Kissed is definitely the most forgettable of the tracks on show. It’s far too slow, considering what preceded it. The Thoughts That Give Me The Creeps pulls us back into the groove that betrayed set; fascinating, with hints of a break out following. And the albums does just that. I Never Can Relax takes us to the more indie aspect of the album, and I welcome it. Coppertone has a very “late night down by the lake” feel, and it’s great to hear. Would It Kill You? follows Coppertone naturally, and is just what you want after the slow dance track of the album. Something You Misplaced rounds off the effort in stunning form, begging to be played as ambience. It’s gorgeous, and that truly is that.

Hellogoodbye provide a more organic sound with this album, and, as a result, I see it as a contender for Album of the Year. Fair play to them, I guess.

My Chemical Romance: Game changers for Rock and Roll?

I don't think it's any secret that I am a huge fan of My Chemical Romance. 2006's The Black Parade was not only a critical and commercial success, it also helped open my eyes to a new world of music in a way that only Green Day's American Idiot had done prior. The album used everything in the rock and roll arsenal; loose concept, tight solos, powerful and emotive lyrics, and, possibly most important of all, it used classic rock as a base, and pushed off from there. You cannot deny that Welcome to the Black Parade sounds remarkably similar to, well, anything by Queen ever!

In fact, it could be said that both MCR albums previous to The Black Parade were in the same vein, that's at least what front man Gerard Way would have us believe. The Black Parade was a finest hour moment, something that they could never best. Until now.

Fast forward three years, and the world is a very different place. New leader of the free world, new technologies unheard of in 2006, and new England manager Fabio Capello is drawing all the plaudits. The film Watchmen is released, and My Chemical Romance are releasing the lead single for the soundtrack. The song? Bob Dylan classic Desolation Row. The version is a huge departure from anything on The Black Parade. More Punk, less Theatrical. it worked.

Over a year later, the follow up album to the 2006 smash, is announced. Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys is to be released on the 22nd of November, and I can't wait.

Why? Well, apart from being a massive fan, as mentioned earlier, I can't wait to see what's next for the boys.

On their website, www.mychemicalromance.com, you can watch the video for their new single; Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na). Ludicrous title, yes, but it's a really, really good song. It's very difficult to describe, but it's the most accessible MCR song, well, certainly since Welcome to the Black Parade, possible in their history.

Two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to see the band live. They were superb, and they played a few songs off the new album; Planetary (GO!), The Only Hope For Me Is You, and The Kids From Yesterday. They were... different.

Each song reminded me of someone else. The first; not dissimilar to something that Gorillaz would put out. The second; very, very much like Closer to the Edge by 30 Seconds to Mars. And the third; anything by The Big Pink. The problem was, I didn't really like any of them.

I found myself searching YouTube, hoping the atmosphere in the theatre had taken something away from the tracks, but all the recordings were of such poor quality, I won't find out until release day at the very earliest.

But why am I excited? If I'm not a fan of the new sound, why do I still hold out so much hope for this album? I'll tell you why; progress.

If this is the natural progression of the MCR sound, then the very least I can do is listen to it four or five times before I judge. I've only heard each song once, and in the situation, and the spirit of the moment, a lot of it was lost on me, it all fell on deaf ears as it were.

The next reason is two other band I love; The Killers and Hellogoodbye. The Killers released Day and Age in 2008, and I hated it. It was sloppy, it was dancey, it was nothing like the killers I loved. I gave it time, several playthroughs, and something clicked. It seemed to work for me, and i'm hoping the same will happen here. With Hellogoodbye, their (original) sound was very synth pop. They've evolved to a more light rock sound now, but synth pop was their forte. I'm hoping my love for their original sound will get me to love the dancier tracks on the album, and i know there will be some.

My Chemical Romance are possibly changing the face of rock and roll with this record, defying what you can and cannot do on a rock record. If, on the 22nd of November, you have an hour or so free, pick up this album and check it out for yourself, especially if you're a rock fan. It could change your outlook on life.