My Chemical Romance & other rock finds

For all those out there who were not able to watch the My Chemical Romance (MCR) show held in Taguig last January, here is proof that you did miss one great concert. On the other hand, here, too, is a chance to find out why MCR has been dubbed one of the most exciting young bands in the world today.

The album is the two-disc set The Black Parade is Dead. No, these guys have not killed The Black Parade. No way they will do that to their best recording, thus far. This one actually contains the video on DVD of two MCR concerts. One is in a jampacked arena in Mexico City while the other one is in New Jersey.

The interesting thing about these videos is that while the shows have the same artist, MCR with Gerard Way on lead vocals; his brother Mikey Way on bass; Bob Bryer on drums; Frank Iero on rhythm guitar; and Ray Toro on lead guitar, and almost the same repertoire, they are very different from each other.

Mexico has the whole works, very theatrical and much like what people saw here. The other one though is a stripped down version with just the music and no makeup or costumes and including some songs from MCR’s early CDs, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and Life on the Murder Scene. If you are among those who still think MCR is all pyrotechnics and shock value, this is the disc that will change your mind. In a small, almost quiet setting, MCR can dish out good rock music.

Among the tracks included are The End, Dead, This is How I Disappear, The Sharpest Lives, Welcome to the Black Parade, I Don’t Love You, House of Wolves, Cancer, Mama and Sleep. An audio version of the Mexico concert comes as a bonus.

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Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace by The Offspring: Here is what happens when a punk band matures. The Offspring started out rough and hardhitting many years ago. But give a listen to this new and top-selling album and you will find that these guys from California have polished their act. Okay fans of the group might call this an over-produced sell-out. Maybe it is. But I do see the CD as a way of expanding their fanbase.

With Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, The Offspring opens the door for music lovers who will welcome an album of precise melodies coming one after the other and a solid well thought-out production. Best of the lot is the hit single You’re Gonna Go Far Kid. A Lot Like Me and Nothingtown should also help sell more CDs.

Other titles included are Half-Truism, Trust In You, Hammerhead, Takes Me Nowhere, Kristy Are You Doing Okay?, Stuff Is Messed Up, Fix You, Let’s Hear It for Rock Bottom and Rise and Fall.

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Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt by Augustana: I guess that because of the band’s clever use of the piano, Can’t Love Can’t Hurt might be easily classified as emo rock. But it is more than that. I hear hints of ‘70s folk but of the strong sort. There is soul but not the cloying kind. Some rocking country and ballads, lush and lyrical. It actually sounds like Augustana has come up with a rock sound that is uniquely its own and very commercial.

I Still Ain’t Over You is the fun cut, very light and breezy. Hey Now is the big emo ballad. And as though to show that they are as skilled with the guitar as they are with the piano, there is Dust which could have come straight out of Allman Brothers territory. The other cuts are Sweet and Low, Twenty Years, Meet You There, Fire, Either Way I’ll Break Your Heart Someday, Rest Shame Love and Where Love Went Wrong.

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As for those of you out there who are interested in other rock tracks, here are the Top 10 titles in the Billboard Magazine Rock Chart:

In No. 1 is You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring; Troublemaker by Weezer; Believe by Staind; I Don’t Care by Apocalyptica featuring Adam Gontier; Re-Education (Through Labor) by Rise Against; The Day That Never Comes by Metallica; I’m Not Over by Carolina Liar; Human by The Killers; Bad Girlfriend by Theory of a Deadman; and Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon.