By now MCR had received some attention and a fan base was growing steadily.
After signing with a major label MCR released their second album called Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in 2004. Even though it did not reach a high spot in any of the major charts Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge went platinum.
Four singles were released: Thank You For The Venom, Im Not Okay (I Promise), which were released within 5 weeks apart, Helena and The Ghost Of You. Only Im Not Okay (I Promise) and The Ghost Of You made it into the Top Ten of the US charts.
Overall, this album received good critics and virtually marks their breakthrough. The choice of singles is good but I would have replaced The Ghost Of You with The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You.
I still feel that this album is a step backwards, artistically speaking. Their music has become simpler. Matt Pelissier still shows his exceptional skills on occasions but he is taking it much easier and both guitars dont thrill me in the least anymore.
The tunes are catchier than those on their debut album, which is to appease the masses, read potential buyers, rather than bringing their own style to the audience. MCR has become a part of the masses instead of standing out from the masses.
On their debut album MCR seemed to know what they want to sound like. On Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge they seem to know what they have to soundlike ..in order to attain the riches of the pop world.
One month after the release of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, and still four month before the release of the first single thereof, MCR decided to part ways with Matt Pelissier. A band thats gone from very talented to very average relieved their best musician of his duties. That can only mean one thing for the quality of their next album ..
There is so much to write about MCR so I decided to break them down in three parts, from album to album.
In 2001 Gerard Way (vocals) and former drummer Matt Pelissier formed the band. Apparently they were inspired by the 9/11 bombings, which is just about as deep as the go-to answer World Peace at a beauty pageant contest. Mikey Way (bass) and Ray Toro (lead-guitar) joined shortly afterwards. A guitarist was much needed, as it turned out that Gerard Way couldn't sing and play the guitar at the same time.
Frank Iero (guitar) was the last to join the band and shortly afterwards the five of them started recording their debut album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, which was released in 2002.
Theyve been given many styles, such as Punk Rock, Emo or most ridiculously Alternative Rock, but by the end of the review you will see how their style has significantly turned into some kind of Pop.
I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love is a masterpiece in my opinion. A fresh and talented band makes music for Emos and Goths (you have to give them credit for the vampyre parts) alike. The lyrics are generally destructive and the word "angst" comes to mind. You can make an argument that the entire album is one storyline, with Demolition Lovers being the climax, but that's nothing but a theory so far. I like how the album starts with a fairly calm Prelude called Romance. Then again, I'm a sucker for preludes and transitions anyway. Next up are the first two singles, "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us" and "Vampires Will Never Hurt You". Both tracks clearly indicate how talented these guys are. "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us" is aggressive, whereas "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" starts off slowly and melodic and increases the intensity gradually. That's what I thought would be typical for MCR, the songs building up gradually and increasing in intensity. "Headfist For Halos" became the third single and was released in 2004. Like the other singles it didn't exactly become a bestseller.
In my opinion two songs stand out that defined MCR's style. Songs that start off calmly, gradually build up the intensity and get more and more aggressive without abandoning the melody. One is "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville", which does remind me of the Beatles. Listen closely to the lead guitar, as its melody stays beautifully constant throughout the entire song. The other song is one of the best songs ever. A song that's inexplicably never ever been released as single. A song every MCR fan I ever asked loves. A song with a heart-warming, yet tragic storyline. In short, this piece of art comes as close to perfection as can be, both musically and lyrically. I am talking about "Demolition Lovers". Starting off slowly with just guitar and vocals makes it seem like a love ballad, which it is somehow. The intensity increases as the drums join in and later the other guitar as well. After a temporary peak the song becomes calm again and the pattern repeats itself once more: A slow start with lead guitar, drums and vocals, then rhythm guitar and more aggressive drums speeding the song up until we reach the climax of the song where both characters of the story die. And even though I've listened to this song several thousand times I am still impressed with the drums, especially the base drums!
Overall I think this is an outstanding debut album. MCR seemed to be fully aware of what they wanted to sound like. The choice of tracks, beginning with a prelude and ending with tragic love story, is as good as you can get.
Matt Pelissier is one of the best drummers I know and Ray Toro is highly underrated!
I came across Matt and Kim by accident. I went to check one of my other blogs when a video of the song Yea Yeah, supported by a marching band popped up. Usually I click on Skip The Advert straight away, but this song caught my attention. Let's start with some basic facts:
Matt Johnson (guitar, vocals, keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums, vocals) from Brooklyn formed the band in 2004.
As usual, we can argue about the style but I think Synthpop comes closest. After all, their music reminds you of the 80s. They've been influenced by punk as well.
Matt and Kim have only released one album thus far, "Matt and Kim" in 2006. I am not aware of the release of a single but there are official videos for "Yea Yeah" and "5k".
In all honesty, it takes some serious getting used to their music. Matt Johnsons nasal voice leaves you wondering whether this is how the song is supposed to sound, especially live. But their style is the epitome of minimalism. There are simple keyboard chords and drum rhythms throughout the songs. Kim Schifino plays the drums with the joy and energy of a little child, and this spreads to the audience.
On the downside, their album is only 29:13 minutes, which is disappointing considering the fun they seem to have making music.
20 January 2009 will see the release of their second album called Grand. There will be 11 tracks again but its even shorter by four seconds.
Ive already listened to most of the songs. The new album is as catchy and energetic as the previous but I have to admit that I like it a little better. Daylight is the first single.
If you are in need of cheering up, Matt and Kim will almost certainly succeed. The video to Yea Yeah will put a smile on your face.
In 1995 Amy Lee (vocals, piano) and Ben Moody (lead guitar) formed Evanescence in Little Rock, Arkansas. The number of member changes (7) nearly equals the number of released singles (8) up to now. This includes Ben Moody, which makes Amy Lee the only remaining founder of Evanescence.
I find them to be too rocky to be labelled Goth Metal and too metal to be classed as Goth Rock. I think they're somewhere in-between.
In 2003 John LeCompt (guitar), Rocky Gray (drums) and Will Boyd (bass) joined the band and Fallen, their debut album, was released shortly afterwards. Fallen reached Platinum multiple times as well as top spot in most country's charts. Overall it sold approximately 15 million times.
Four singles were released, Bring Me To Life, Going Under, My Immortal and Everybody's Fool.
Their first single Bring Me To Life was extremely successful. Not only did it reach top spot in most major charts, it reached silver and platinum as well as winning a Grammy Award. Going Under was released five months later but never got anywhere near the success of their first single. My Immortal achieved #1 in a few charts. Everybody's Fool's success was very slim.
This album is what I call a masterstroke. While Evanescence is not Mainstream they became known amongst admirers of all different kinds of music.
Amy Lee clearly is the star, accompanied by powerful yet monotonous guitar chords and very basic drums. Occasionally it seems as if vocals and instruments dont play well together and sound like two different songs in one.
The four singles are tracks one to four on the album. The remaining songs, though still very good are not as good as the singles and sound a bit alike.
I consider it a very good album but if you have the singles you have virtually all you need.
At the end of 2003 Ben Moody left the band. One theory states that he and Amy Lee had different plans with Evanescence. While he wanted to make as much money as possible Amy Lee wanted to develop artistically. Moody was replaced by Terry Balsamo.
In this formation they released their second and current album The Open Door in 2006. This album reached Platinum, too and sold approximately four million times. It peaked at #1 in the USA, Australia, Germany, Greece and Switzerland.
Four singles were released, Call Me When Youre Sober, Lithium, Sweet Sacrifice and Good Enough. Weight Of The World was only released in Columbia.
The first two singles had a somewhat modest success and the success or the lack of it of the other two singles isnt even worth mentioning.
If you hadnt already guessed but tracks one to four on The Open Door are four of the five singles. Good Enough is the last track on The Open Door.
As soon as the album was in the shops I asked some of my friends whether they like the album. I just couldnt imagine that Evanescence was able to make another album as good as Fallen. And I was right. The singles, well Call Me When Youre Sober, Lithium, Sweet Sacrifice and Weight Of The World are the best songs by a mile. Musically theyd fit on the album Fallen but as additions rather than potential singles. After that the songs become slow, depressing and increasingly similar.
Before The Open Door was released Will Boyd left the band and was replaced by Tim McCord, a guitarist who switched to bass. Not much fuss was made about this but the departures of John LeCompt and Rocky Gray leave a lot of questions unanswered. It is rumoured that Amy Lee, who has a reputation as a spoilt diva, is behind all this.
The current band members are Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo and Tim McCord.
I believe that Evanescence are very talented musicians but it has never been about Evanescence. More suitable would be something like Amy Lee & Co. Look at all the videos. They are 97% Amy Lee and 3% the rest of the band. I would not be surprised if Amy Lee went or had to go for that matter solo.
On The Open Door Amy Lees voice is wasted. Her voice is so strong and powerful it is not well suited for slow ballads (My Immortal on Fallen is the exception). Her voice has to dominate like it does on Bring Me To Life or Going Under.
I like their music. I really do but if their next album is like the other two, meaning songs one to four are good and songs five to last are less good and sound alike, then I will just download the singles for free and spare me the other 2/3 of the album.
Panic At The Disco, now without the exclamation mark, was formed in 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The current band members are:
Brendon Urie (vocals, guitar, keyboards) Ryan Ross (guitar, keyboards) Jon Walker (bass guitar) Spencer Smith (drums, percussion)
The original bassist was Brent Wilson, whos departure was everything but amicable.
I find it extremely hard to label PATD as they experiment with many different musical styles. That makes it usually easy for me to just call them a Crossover band but they consider themselves as Rock, Big Beat and Techno. I could settle for Alternative Rock but Big Beat and Techno are the last genres that come to mind when you listen to their second and most recent album. I do agree with PATD though that labelling their music Emo is bullsh*t.
Pete Wentz, bassist of the Fall Out Boys got them signed to Fueled By Ramen/Decaydance, the label that has Paramore under contract, whom I also reviewed. A noticeable similarity between PATD and the Fall Out Boys is that they sometimes use lines from movies as song titles.
In September 2005 PATD released their first album called A Fever You Cant Sweat Out. Due to the lack of an army of PR people the album failed to reach a top ten spot in the major charts but hit #1 in the US Billboard Independent Album Charts. Then again, competent people in the music business happen about as often as a blizzard in the desert. Their popularity grew however, as they toured and easily outplayed higher viewed bands. A Fever You Cant Sweat Out reached platinum.
The first half of the album emphasises an electronic style (synthesiser and drums) but changes after the Intermission (track #8) to actual instruments. If you think about it, the intermission symbolically starts with a synthesiser and ends with piano play. Most remarkable is Brendon Uries singing, the trademark of the band Id say. I am (was) a vocalist but as inviting as the songs are to sing along, I am about 50 times off-key by the time I reach the chorus.
As the beats another focus of the band guitar and bass are supporting instruments rather than being significant for the songs. They released five singles, The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage, I Write Sins Not Tragedies, But Its Better If You Do, Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off and Build God Then Well Talk, with rather modest success.
To me this is one of the best albums I have ever heard. I Write Sins Not Tragedies and Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off are songs you will never forget. The musical intermission from But Its Better If You Do to I Write Sins Not Tragedies is beautiful and couldn't be any better.
Calling this album Emo is like calling Michael Jackson Caucasian. This album has speed and persuades you to move along and/or sing along. Its what I call good mood stuff and quite frankly may well be an anti depressant. Is that the relation one sees with PATD and Emo?
In March 2008 PATD released their second album Pretty. Odd. It peaked at #1 in Australia and #2 in the UK and the USA. It is a completely different style though. Partly recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios some of the songs show a resemblance with the Beatles. They also experiment with Folk and some style from a century ago, the kind of music you could hear on the radio during wartime. Like A Fever You Cant Sweat Out, which has a short instrumental Introduction and an Intermisson, they are using short songs on Pretty. Odd. but they really dont do it for me.
Theyve already released three singles, Nine In The Afternoon, Mad As Rabbits and That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed), with Northern Downpour as the soon to be fourth single.
In my opinion only Nine In The Afternoon and That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed) remind you of the early PATD. Brendon Urie and Ryan Ross share the vocals on She Had The World and is, according to me, the best song on the album. While their first album makes you cheery and merry, Pretty. Odd. is not an album I recommend if you are depressed. It sure as hell will get you over the edge.
Dont get me wrong, I still think it is a musically good piece of work but it doesnt appeal to my taste buds after being spoilt with A Fever You Cant Sweat out. This album reminds me of a carnival/circus. Its the kind of music Id expect there. Actually, PATD are known for their circus style shows during their performances.
I still believe that PATD are one of the best bands around. They are certainly one of the most underrated bands ever but I hope they go back to their roots.
Paramore from Tennessee formed in 2004. The band members are:
Haley Williams (vocals, keyboard)
Josh Farro (guitar, background vocals)
Jeremy Davis (bass guitar)
Zac Farro (drums)
Their music has been given several labels, surprisingly even some punk genres, but pop is most fitting. After all they are built to produce and hit the charts.
Other than the USA and UK their success is fairly modest, which is no surprise as these are the two main markets that sell low quality products for exorbitant prices and actually manage to find buyers.
In 2005 they released their debut album All We Know Is Falling. Before they started recording Jeremy Davis left the band for personal reasons but returned 5 months later after being asked to by the band. The theme of the album fittingly is about Jeremy Davis departure and the void he left according to the band.
The album fared decently well in the UK, #8 and made the Heatseekers Charts but failed to reach the Billboard 200 in the USA. Other countries seemed to take no notice of Paramore. Understandably.
On their debut album they sometimes leave the impression that they actually got some talent, but they only show it sporadically.
Haley Williams singing lessons either didnt pay off or she has decided to follow her own style. Guitar and drums sound basic and overly repetitive. If you put your ear very close to the speakers you may even hear a bass guitar every now and then.
I couldnt help but feeling very tired the more I listened to the album.
The length of the album is an incredible 35 minutes and 47 seconds. This alone tells me that the album has been produced with the least amount of effort solely to sell and make money.
They released three singles; Pressure, Emergency and All We Know.
In 2007 they released Riot! which has often been mocked Rot! I couldnt agree more. I bought this album to see what the hype is about but only got the confirmation of my theory that anything with a huge PR and marketing machinery is desperate to sell and rip off.
USA, UK and New Zealand are the only countries where it had some sort of success yet it reached Platinum status.
Some of the melodies have become catchier but the music has become poorer and poorer. I have yet to see a busker with less skill and the drums sound like theyre from a toy store.
I dont really want to go into the lyrics but lets just say that Haley must have had more bad luck in love at her sweet age of 18 than the average person would have in 5 life times. But this is what you get when someone writes about something they have no clue of yet.
The album is exactly 3 minutes longer which makes it even less effort if you consider it has one song more than the previous album. But lets face it both albums should be freebies rather than goods for sale on a shelf.
They released four singles; Missery Business, Hallelujah, Crushcrushscrush and Thats What You Get.
In early 2008 the band cancelled a few shows in Europe to work out their personal issues, according to a message on their website. Apparently Josh Farro had voiced his anger about the medias focus on Haley. He may be right but honestly this is what Paramore is about. Get a seemingly pretty girl and put a few Sideshow Bobs around her. Skills dont matter; just make sure they look pretty-ish. Seeing that many teenage girls understand bisexuality as a trend and must-be to fit in rather than a sexual orientation, you have a recipe for success; a band that appeals to both sexes.
Apparently a split did not take place as the band is working on a new album.
For my final verdict I would like to quote my former friend and DJ Little Jeff who passed away too early. When a clubber requested McFly he took the microphone and said something like This is a rock club and I dont play Mac F***ing Fly here. I think this quote is applicable for Paramore as well!
I'll be using this blog to write about artists from the past, presence and future.
My time is limited but I hope to write at least one review per week.
Readers of this blog are welcome to request reviews. I will mainly cover Rock, Metal, Grunge, Punk and such.
If you leave a comment/guestbook entry please try to keep it clean, i.e. no offensive material, profanities, obscenities, racism, sexism, harassment etc etc.
Neen, uw blog moet niet dagelijks worden bijgewerkt. Het is gewoon zoals je het zélf wenst. Indien je geen tijd hebt om dit dagelijks te doen, maar bvb. enkele keren per week, is dit ook goed. Het is op jouw eigen tempo, met andere woorden: vele keren per dag mag dus ook zeker en vast, 1 keer per week ook.
Er hangt geen echte verplichting aan de regelmaat. Enkel is het zo hoe regelmatiger je het blog bijwerkt, hoe meer je bezoekers zullen terugkomen en hoe meer bezoekers je krijgt uiteraard.
