July Album Recommendation: My Chemical Romance's Danger Days

For those of you who know me personally, you're well aware my first love was and is music. Music bleeds into everything I do, from running to writing, and it only feels right to talk about it here as well. So, I've decided to dedicate one blog post each month to a review of one of my favorite albums. Maybe it'll inspire your next piece or, at the very least, give you some good songs to add to your playlist. Either way, I hope these track-by-track dissections serve some purpose other than me just ranting about the things I love.

Most of July, I've been working on writing within dystopias, and no album quite nails the genre's feelings of disparity and hopefulness like My Chemical Romance's Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.

Following the massive success of The Black Parade (which I promise, I will talk about when I have something more coherent than exasperated sobbing to add to the conversation), Danger Days is a concept album taking place after the apocalypse in California, 2019. It follows a gang of rebellious "Killjoys," with each of the band members having a Killjoy alter ego.

Released in 2010, it was met with divided reception; people either love it or hate it. It's a stark contrast from the darkness of The Black Parade, filled with electric sounds and a colorful aesthetic. Seriously, I could go on and on about the brilliance of this album's ability to effectively create and execute such a strong aesthetic, but I want to get to the music. Look it up, though, so you can see just what I mean. That, and everyone deserves to see Gerard Way as a red head.

"Look Alive, Sunshine":

Danger Days opens with Dr. Death Defying (Dr. D) sending out a radio transmission. This thirty second track immediately sets up the world of Danger Days and introduces listeners to our narrator. Dr. D even tells us he'll be our "surgeon," "proctor," and "helicopter." This functions as an introduction, something that anchors listeners throughout the album, and it's something we return to time and time again. This track seamlessly flows into the next, and they were performed as one track in the music video for...

"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)":

Let's be real: I probably didn't get all the Na's in the title. Still, if "Look Alive, Sunshine" is the introduction, "Na Na Na" is throwing us headfirst into this world and leaving us to catch up. Being the lead single, this track needs to be representative of the album as a whole. For these three plus minutes, it's clear we're not in reality and we're not in the world of The Black Parade. This is something entirely new.

It's a song of rebellion and really sets the stage for the themes explored throughout the album. This track is the kind of song that makes you want to roll down the windows and scream at the top of your lungs. In fact, if you can resist doing just that when you hear it, you're a much stronger person than me.

"Bulletproof Heart":

Masters of storytelling, MCR would never skip the exposition and "Bulletproof Heart" is just that. It takes the foundation laid in "Na Na Na" and kicks it into hyper drive, solidifying these characters and their place within the world. With techno elements underlying the track, it feels futuristic and defiant and everything Danger Days encapsulates. It definitely gives me Bonnie and Clyde vibes, but as if they were fighting robots in the desert. You'll see what I mean.

"Sing":

Single #2. This is an anthem, but has gone severely underappreciated due to circumstance at the time of release. With dynamic verses leading into empowering choruses, this song really does have everything going for it. Perfectly fitting into the Danger Days universe, it also has the ability to stand alone. This is the epitome of a "fight back" song and I will forever be jaded that its greatest recognition was a strange cover on Glee.

"Planetary (GO!)":

They really came out swinging with this one. Literally, the track opens with an alarm blaring. It plows through and with intense dance beats, I have a really hard time not dancing along. If you want to feel immortal for four minutes, just listen to this song. Plus, it does a really nice job of characterizing the Killjoys. Thanks to this track, we know they "can't slow down" and feel "undefeatable." They're not going down without a fight.

"The Only Hope for Me is You":

So, at this point, we know the Killjoys are violent, rebellious, and (possibly) our heroes. Then, they decide to hit us with this. They bring it back, give us a second to breathe, and hand us the most techno love song I've ever heard. This is the embodiment of wearing your heart on your sleeve, with singer Gerard Way telling us to "Face the pain and take it on / Because the only hope for me is you, alone." Twisted in a way only MCR can manage, this is the song to listen to when the world gets to be a little much but the love's not gone.

"Jet-Star and the Kobra Kid / Traffic Report":

Everything is going pretty good up until now, it seems. The Killjoys are fighting the good fight, feeling the emotions, and then we get to our second update from Dr. D. Here, he broadcasts that two of the Killjoys, Jet-Star (Ray Toro) and the Kobra Kid (Mikey Way) have "got themselves ghosted." They're dead. This song literally implies that half the band is dead in the Danger Days universe and although it's not a particularly emotional track, if we carry that with us the rest of the way through, it's definitely got me feeling some kind of way.

"Party Poison":

This song is real straightforward, I won't lie. Previously titled "Death Before Disco," this track is a party through and through. There's down and dirty guitar riffs and another powerhouse chorus. Named after Gerard Way's Killjoy, it's evident he's in his element here. Let's be real though, he could be incoherently mumbling and I'd praise him.

"Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back":

Opening with the howling desert winds, close your eyes and this is the closest you'll come to living in Danger Days. With public perception of the band revolving around death at the time, this song combats that and rebrands them entirely. This is martyrdom at its most sophisticated and a battle cry. This is wanting so badly to live, but not wanting to live without your family. This is a promise of a future, if we just hang on.

"S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W":

In the "Danger Days" universe, something elaborated on in the comics (oh yeah, there's comics to go with this) are "Scarecrows," or the low-level exterminators our Killjoys are fighting against. This song, once you realize it's not literally about scarecrows, is a nice follow-up to "Save Yourself." With lyrics like "Never mind about the shape I'm in / I'll keep you safe tonight," this is a softer approach to that seemingly impossible love that's run through the album.

"Summertime":

You ever been in love? This song will singlehandedly make you want to be. Sweet and simple, this is a love song in its purest form. Seriously, I might have to play this at my wedding, it's that genuine.

"Destroya":

If you were worried we were heading down a sentimental road, fear not: "Destroya" is here to save the day. This is a loud, thrashing, cleansing, where we're told to turn our backs on love and just believe in the enemy. Its bringing us back to what's really important in Danger Days: fighting back. Oh, also there's a lot of moaning. Enjoy.

"The Kids from Yesterday:"

Cry with me. This song definitely hits different now that the band is broken up, however, it's always been an emotional one. This is devastating and haunting, designed to begin wrapping things up. Within the Danger Days universe, this song is easily about the Killjoys and their familial bonds, but the music video tells us this is a song from the band for the fans. At this point in 2010, we've been on this journey together for nearly ten years and we're (mostly) still kicking. That's to be celebrated.

"Goodnite, Dr. Death":

I said I'd never lie and I won't start now. I usually skip this track. Here, we have Dr. D signing off, warning us to keep running and don't stay in one place too long. Then, it ends with the "Star Spangled Banner," which, it's refreshing to see that sampled without intentions of making a political point.

"Vampire Money":

We've made it. At this point, we're done with Danger Days and the Killjoys. Ray, Frank, and Mikey are referenced by name, thanks to Gerard, and we're meant to see this absolute bop almost as credits. It's not necessarily experimental like the rest of the album, but it's a victorious end to the bloody revolution of Danger Days.

So, there you have it. Danger Days has definitely been my album of the summer and I think it's sending the sort of message we need right now. Don't be complacent. Fight back. Art is the weapon. That, and I find it to be an expert example of world-building and storytelling. It's inspired me more than once and I hope it can do the same for you.

What do you think of Danger Days? Disagree with me? Have a suggestion for next month's album review? Let me know below and thanks for reading!