Robyn Writes

Apparently, My Chemical Romance have returned.

I used to be an MCR fan. I was never in the MCRmy and I didn’t follow Gerard Way and his crew around like a lost puppy, but I had the shirt, I knew the songs, I enjoyed what they had to offer. When The Black Parade came out, one of the most terrible excuses for a concept album ever, I lost faith. It was such a mediocre effort from a band which had such potential. The first two MCR albums were visceral, exciting, interesting. They were well crafted and highly intelligent. The Black Parade, in stark contrast, was a steaming pile of self righteous shit that did its very best to be Queen. That said, most people disagree with me and it shot MCR to catastrophic heights. The only time I have ever seen them live was on The Black Parade Is Dead! tour and I won’t deny that they put on a very good live show. Now, the band have announced a new album and put up some hella artsy trailer for it. And it kind of made me think, what’s the real reason that I don’t like this band any more?

Sure, I still like (and listen to, on occasion) the first two albums. But I just can’t bring myself to touch The Black Parade, despite there being a couple of gems on there, where MCR show us what they once were and still are capable of. And to be honest, I think it’s the fans. I am not one to complain about going a bit mental over something – we all know that the minute AFI or Transformers are mentioned, I turn into a little ball of spaz, spewing out a load of pointless knowledge and opinion to anyone who will endure it. But I’ve never got that obsessed. I’ve never followed a band on tour and I’ve certainly never made them the centre of my universe, and that’s what I’ve found with MCR fans – they go unnecessarily gaga and it terrifies me. When I saw MCR at the NIA, I was surrounded (and crushed) by obese fourteen and fifteen year olds, wearing badly applied makeup and the kind of clothes I am desperately trying to get rid of on eBay, screaming to Gerard Way that they want to bear his children. On the new 30 Seconds To Mars video, a bit pops up saying “Yes, this is a cult,” and Jared Leto is wrong, quite frankly – the diehard MCR fans are a cult. I suppose a few years ago it was fashionable – if you were a bit ’emo’ (and I can’t stand what that word has been bastardised into), you got into all this Black Parade stuff and went around pretending you were dead in stylish military jackets. A lot of those kids will have forgotten about MCR and will have now moved on to Rihanna. It’s the natural order of things. The rest will be going batshit insane over this news. Am I jaded for only caring a little bit when my favourite band releases an album? Jaded I may be, but I’d rather be that than caught up in the hysteria.

The trailer itself is… interesting. Take a look, see if you can spot Grant Morrison:

It’s certainly different. It’s very stylish. It’s not exactly clever and it might be a bit pretentious and confusing, but it’s fun and it is highly ridiculous. It shows that My Chemical Romance have retained their sense of humour – after all, the video for I’m Not Okay is brilliant. It’s also got echoes of a new beginning; is this a more grown up MCR? Has all that stuff Gerard Way’s done for The Umbrella Academy mean that he’s now a better story writer and if this is a concept album, does it mean it might actually be good? It hardly answers any questions. But it’s a teaser trailer, that’s what you want. A taste, just a little excitement. That said, it’s hardly making me piss my pants in anticipation. All I can think of is how they’ve been playing Borderlands and Fallout 3 too much and laugh at the little kid who’s part of ‘the Killjoys’. The most important part of it is the music; after all, that’s what we’re waiting for, right? We haven’t been waiting for Mikey Way to dye his hair blonde (although, he does look damn attractive) or to see that Frank Iero has put on just a little bit of weight. We’ve been waiting (if we’ve been waiting at all) to see if the songs are going to be any good and well?

…It’s a bit mediocre, isn’t it?

It’s faster than Welcome To The Black Parade was, it’s a bit pop-punky, it sounds fun, but it’s not exactly an epic. And again, here is where my faith started to return and then ran off again, because I know, deep down in my heart, that MCR are capable of so much more. I want to believe that this is going to be a good album, that this will be MCR’s glorious return to my CD rack. But, I’m just not grabbed. My heart didn’t skip a beat. The lyrics sounded like typical MCR fare, but no line stood out. I don’t want this band to fade into mediocrity, not after they came so close last time. MCR were one of my gateways to other bands that I now adore – I’m not ashamed to say that I started listening to the Misfits after seeing Frank Iero wear one of their shirts (it was first album MCR though, any later than that and I’d have no credibility at all). They weren’t a vital part of my teen years but they helped make them a bit more interesting. I really wish that I had more to say about this song but, I just don’t. The mere fact that I don’t kind of says it all, doesn’t it?

Live: Never Say Die! 2010 – O2 Academy Birmingham, 31/10/10

The minute I stepped through the door, I thought ‘I shouldn’t be here’. It was Halloween, Kitteh and I thought that we should do something because neither of us could do our usual respective Halloween activities and we chanced upon Parkway Drive and Comeback Kid touring together. “You wanna do it?” “Hell yeah I wanna do it!” and the tickets were booked. But stepping through the doors, into a barrage of scene mullets, fat girls with too much eyeliner and brightly coloured band t-shirts (seriously, what happened to black?), was almost too much to handle. I guess I forgot that hardcore is a bit ridiculous these days.

At the merch stand, Kitteh got major props from Bleeding Through’s super awesome keyboardist Marta (“That necklace is soooo cool, where did you get it?!” “To be honest, Claire’s… the Halloween stuff is surprisingly good.” “No way!!”), I picked up a bitchin’ Comeback Kid shirt and we kicked back, relaxed, paid far too much for a VK and a coke and waited for the next band to come on, having already missed We Came As Romans, who I’m sure were very good as they had dinosaurs on their t-shirts. Your Demise, who to my surprise were British, came on and we ventured on in. Despite being just the second band on, they had a lot of support from the audience who two-stepped and floor-punched their way into a frenzy. Your Demise are great hardcore – absolutely full of energy with enough melody to actually make a song while still being heavy as fuck. They’re not too serious, but it was clear that there was a lot more depth than just ‘mosh mosh mosh’ in their sound. War From A Harlot’s Mouth were up next, but they didn’t leave a lasting impression. They were vaguely akin to Caliban, so in other words, heavy German metalcore. You get the picture.

Emmure, however, were something incredible. Glorious deathcore hailing from various parts of the US, they shocked and awed the crowd with an amazing performance. Vocalist Frankie Palmeri has a voice that sounds like a bowel movement in his throat – deep, distressing and potentially cathartic. Emmure are an insanely intense band; every song is like a direct assault. There’s no bullshit either; the band’s there to play, not chat to the teenies on the front row. I wasn’t in the mosh, but I believed it to be brutal, much like the sound coming out of the speakers. It’s impressive stuff, so definitely check them out if they’re over again.

Bleeding Through are a band that Kitteh and I have been waiting to see for a while. And oh man, they were definitely the heaviest band of the night. Marta is just so impressive to behold – the headbanging whilst rocking the keyboards was so intense she probably got some kind of concussion. The songs from the latest release sound amazing and the band were on top form. They’re so typically American though – Brandon says thank you after every song, everything’s posi until they tell us they’re enemies of everything and I dunno, it gave the set a bit of a weird feel. However, it’s forgivable because Brandon is ridiculously beef. So so beef.

Comeback Kid are also in the same boat – they’re a band I’ve been wanting to see for absolutely ages. And they delivered, holy shit they delivered. They also played a lot from their latest release and the new songs sound great; that perfect mix of crushing yet melodic hardcore that Comeback Kid are renowned for. I got a bit too excited when they played Broadcasting. The sound wasn’t as good for Comeback Kid as it should have been – the levels were a bit off, but nevertheless, it was an exciting set. While they may not be quite as fun to watch as bands like Your Demise and headliners Parkway Drive (who to be fair, are just mental), they’re certainly captivating. Not the best set of the evening but pretty damn close.

The best set of the evening, truly, must be reserved for Parkway Drive. It may have been their first time in Birmingham, but they owned the venue entirely. The set was divided into two halves – they played songs from Deep Blue, the new album first, and then a mix from Horizons and Killing With A Smile. When I say two halves, I literally mean that – a quick break in the set to change the back drop, put out some palm trees and to try and make it feel a bit more like Byron Bay. Dinghies and beach balls all inclusive too. The sound was sorted out entirely and every note in Winston’s growl was audible all the way to the back. Parkway Drive are excellent showmen – there was a mini circle pit on stage, they got the crowd going insane over an Australian football and you felt like you were part of something grander. The inclusion of older songs in the set was pretty impressive, especially Romance Is Dead and Guns For Show, Knives For A Pro, which sounded amazing. As a devotee to Killing With A Smile, I was happy. When I say I’ve never seen anything quite like it, that’s not hyperbole, that’s fact – Parkway Drive are just insane live, and insanely good at that. The new giants of hardcore are here.

NaNoWriMo – Only The Insane Need Apply

It’s only the 4th of November, and already, NaNoWriMo has consumed my life.

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is an event thought up by Chris Baty in 1999. It takes place from the 1st to the 30th of November. Out of the huge amount of participants (number in total), three out of six TBO writers (myself, fightclubsandwich and ninthandash) are taking up the challenge this year, and we’re already finding it difficult to hit the daily average word count.

You might be thinking “Wait, word count? What does that mean?” It means that you have to complete a 50,000 word novel (although they never frown upon more) in thirty days.

And now you see why we’re crazy.

In order to hit the goal, you have to write 1667 words a day. It’s not impossible, and I’ve been hitting that target or beating it over the last couple of days. In fact, in order to catch up, I wrote over 3000 words yesterday. But, this took me around two to three hours when I was meant to be doing a history essay. I stayed glued to my pen and paper instead of talking to my friends during lunch time. I know that during the course of this month, I will be staying up late into the night in order to catch up. The novel doesn’t have to be perfect, which is something that many NaNo writers stress about. After all, you can call NaNoWriMo the first draft. You’ve then got time to perfect it and turn it into that best seller. In fact, many NaNo writers have used their NaNo novels and become best sellers in America.

So, all of the stress and tears and self-deprecation for what? The gratification of knowing that you’ve written a novel. The feeling of completing something on such a massive scale in such a short time span is incredible. I’ve written a novel once before, but over the course of around a year. I couldn’t believe how I had managed to put so much effort, sleepless nights and cups of coffee into a piece of work. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be exactly the same with NaNoWriMo. Except with a few more cups of coffee and sleepless nights.

We all have our vices. Mine aren’t sex, drugs and rock and roll, they’re video games, caffeine and literature. So for the next thirty days, goodbye, free time and hello, unpredictable characters, a faulty plot and overstyled dialogue. I can tell I’m going to love every minute of it.

Review: My Preserver – Revolutions In The Head

To be honest, until I’d been handed the CD, I’d never heard of these guys. But as it is, TwoBeatsOff likes new music and well, it’s nice to write about stuff I’ve got no preconceptions or assumptions about. And of course, new bands are always a plus. So, I had to do a bit of digging. It turns out that My Preserver are tagged as ‘electro-rock’ on Last.FM by their listeners, which makes sense, and that they’re from London. Googling their record label came forward with nothing, so I’m presuming that debut Revolutions In The Head is in fact self released (which was then confirmed by their Facebook page), which fills me with a fair bit of joy – it’s always great to see bands do it themselves, particularly when those bands get shot to fame, much like My Passion, who are one of the UK’s hardest working bands right now. However, despite their similar names and circumstances, their music is nothing alike and My Preserver wear far less eyeliner. Instead, it’s time to let the music speak for itself and determine if My Preserver have that same edge in order to propel them to atmospheric heights.

Opening track, King Jesus is a great starting point, full of energy and excessively catchy. It’s the sort of thing you’d catch on MTV2’s former excellent afternoon slot, “Text, Drugs and Rock And Roll”, and reminds me a little bit of US band Acceptance, who have the same knack for creating riffs that get in your head. The Green Wash starts in a fairly similar way to the previous track, and perhaps here, some variety would have been nice. They’re certainly not the same song – The Green Wash is actually more interesting and shows more musical depth, deviating from the repetitive but effective formula of King Jesus, but is kind of let down by its length. Third track Terrorist slows the affair down with its piano opening, and a theme of religion and politics echoes through; while this isn’t a political album, there is certainly more depth here than in the average chart release. Meaning, you wouldn’t catch songs like this on the latest Vampire Weekend record. It’s a refreshing change to hear something more lyrically interesting than boy-likes-girl-and-writes-song-about-her in something that isn’t political punk.

Dancing With Bricks is as danceable as its title suggests, but not as impressive as You Know Something I Don’t Know which follows it. This is the best song on the album by far – it’s aggressive, it’s got one hell of a synth solo and fully displays Plowright’s potential vocal talent. Not to say that the vocals are awful for the rest of the album, because they aren’t, but often, when vocals should be more forceful than they are, they turn out a little whiny. It’s okay though – the Americans were doing it before these guys and got away with it. Puzzles is a slow, burning affair, driven by the simple but beautiful underlying guitar riff. It slowly builds and lifts, ending on an echoey note. Children Of The Capitalists is more of the same – synthy synth, distorted guitar, etc, but has some interesting backing vocals in the form of what sounds like actual kids. Guys With Spikes is again, let down by its length – with this kind of stuff, a song over four minutes can be sort of pushing it, and has some very repetitive keyboardy drone before the guitar solos kick in. Otherwise, it’s a perfectly good song, and fits well with the rest of the album’s tone. Change The Blue Bag brings the excitement levels up again and is again, very very catchy. It’s Just A Game is a bit too similar to a few of the other tracks on the album, but is fun all the same. Finisher Loose Change has echoes of Muse in it, especially in the way that it attempts the grandiose. While it’s not the best finisher – the best song on the album should always be reserved for this – it certainly does represent what is best about the album and shows potential for the next release.

Although generally this isn’t my kind of music, I can certainly see that My Preserver have grand ambitions. You don’t attempt music like this if you don’t. While I enjoyed the album, I found it to be reasonably repetitive, which was a real shame. There are moments of brilliance and then… back to the same formula. On the whole, it’s quite similar musically to a lot of bands who came out around the mid 2000s, if not lyrically. It’s almost like the album wants to be its influences, when it doesn’t need to be. It doesn’t stand out like it should and doesn’t stand up to the shuffle test – when I put my iTunes on shuffle and it came up, I had to look up who was playing, I couldn’t guess who it was on my own. And while I may have over 7000 songs on my iTunes, I can certainly tell if it’s something spectacular.

It’s a great attempt for a debut and I’d like to see what happens next for My Preserver. It’s certainly worth checking out if you happen to like chunky synths and some fun guitar. The suggested genre on my iTunes was ‘alternative and punk’ and well… I suppose it is alternative. But next time, let’s hope it’s a better alternative to what’s on offer instead of just blending in.

3.5 out of 5 high fives!

Review: My Passion – Corporate Flesh Party


Is the ‘Kerrang!’-friendly quartet worth all the hype?

In order to appreciate this album for its creative merits, you must clear your mind of any preconceptions; of any memories of rabid fans or luminous merchandise. My Passion are a band who are inevitably going to be judged by their appearances, and it’s understandable as to why. The Hertfordshire collective are slick, stylish and very, very easy on the eye- but are they all eyeliner and no substance? Their debut album ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ tells us all we need to know.

Corporate Flesh Party opens with the rich and surprisingly heavy offering that is Crazy and Me; a particularly catchy number with a killer bassline. Between each verse is a suitably beefy musical interlude that can’t help but get you moving, or at least tapping your foot. This catchy little ditty also showcases some particularly impressive changes in dynamics, tempo and a subtle and not unpleasant appearance of some mild synths. All in all, a good, upbeat, fun opener.

Although ‘Crazy and Me’ is an inevitable crowd-pleaser, it is within such self assured tracks as Play Dirty that My Passion come into their own. With a particularly impressive mix of synths and raw guitars, they create a memorable, danceable tune with a metal edge. ‘Play Dirty’ boasts a distinctly original sound that I can’t help but find compelling. Although their frequent use of synthesisers can’t help but draw comparisons with such outfits as Enter Shikari, the prominent use of synthesisers is where such similarities end. ‘Play Dirty’ is polished and honed in each element- the dual vocals between their sickeningly multi-talented drummer Jonathan Gaskin and vocalist Lawrence Rene are flawless and incredibly effective in creating a suitably high-energy vibe. Day of the Bees is the second promotional video from the record and is indeed one of the more radio-friendly offerings from the album. Once again, My Passion deliver a suitably fun, synth driven attack that keeps the listener on their toes with an impressive off-beat, bouncy rhythm. ‘Day of the Bees’ proves to be more electro and poppy than the other tracks on ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ but any element of superficiality on this track is swiftly counteracted by some rather fetching screams and powerful breaks in dynamics and the band really deliver on the choruses with a particularly effective use of both vocalists. Never Everland is a surprisingly heavy song, with an introduction of light synths quickly evolving into a far heavier, faster mix. Never Everland also sees the appearance of more variety on the part of Rene, as he introduces more raw, harder features to his vocals. Although ‘Never Everland’ is a very enjoyable track, by now, any listener will have noticed that although My Passion can indeed do music, their lyrics leave a little to be desired. If what you look for in a band is profound, poetic lyrics, I’m afraid you won’t find it with this band, but on the other hand, if you want catchy, fun songs that are great to dance to and will most probably remain in your head for most of the day, then ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ is your sort of album. Personally, as soon as I heard the words ‘clap-trap rubbish’ set to music, I was sold.

Winter for Lovers is a real prize find. While the upbeat, danceable tunes cater to an excitable, live audience, it is with songs such as this that My Passion really showcase their versatility as musicians. ‘Winter for Lovers’ shows a different side to them; a more sensitive, considered, mature side, which really should rear its head more often. Although songs of a slower pace are few and far between on this album, when they do appear, they certainly impress. Once again, the song is weighted towards the chorus, but it doesn’t undergo so many sudden or severe changes in order to get there. Winter for Lovers also possesses some of the most appealing and least odd lyrics of the album, so much so that it even enters understandable territories. Hot in the Dolls House provides a sudden, slightly jarring change of pace and re-entry into the world of ‘live’ My Passion. ‘Hot in the Dolls House’ was in fact, their first demo and, despite this, has aged particularly well, proving itself to be one of the stronger tracks on the album. This track is a particularly self-assured effort with a strong and masterful mix of strong synths and heavy guitars which builds to a fabulous, authentic, raw chant of “No Picture”. Even the outro of this song is bound to get anyone’s heart beat racing that little bit faster. As with ‘Winter for Lovers’, After Calais is another departure from their usual heavy sound. ‘After Calais’ is far more down tempo and unexpectedly delicate, especially considering the nature of the song it follows. The heavier elements of My Passion are put aside for the duration of the track, and a more experimental and softer avenue has been taken. Although putting this ‘wild card’ of a song on the album could be seen as a bit of a risk, it’s a risk that has certainly paid off. After Calais also features some wonderfully clear vocals from both drummer and vocalist which one can only hope will be featured in a greater capacity in the outfit’s future work. Thanks for Nothing is another polished and surprisingly heavy demo from 2009 and most certainly bears the best and most effective use of synths on the album. From a deceptive introduction, heavy verses soon build into clear synth breaks and pounding anthemic chants. There really aren’t enough superlatives to describe the technical mastery in this brief song. The gloriously titled The Fabulous Blood Disco is, initially at least, reminiscent of the famous ‘blood-shower’ club scene in Blade. Despite the wonderfully over-the-top title, this is one of the rather more straightforward and lighter mixes on the album- providing a far milder electro/rock blend. In relation to the rest of the album, I’d say this was one of the weaker tracks, yet that is not to say that it’s bad, it just lacks many of the original qualities found in the rest of the album. Saying that, I’m sure that it’d be far more memorable in a live set. Plastic Flesh Garden is yet another surprising offering, beginning rather down-tempo, as with ‘Winter for Lovers’ and ‘Calais’, and quickly building into something far more upbeat and visceral (in parts, at least). Once again, conflicting elements blend seamlessly together for the choruses and through a swift increase in tempo, and the addition of some more aggressive vocal stylings, My Passion demonstrate the distinct sound that has brought them such a dedicated following. The final track of ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ is the oddly titled Vultures are People Too. It’s a painful cliché to say so, but they really have saved the best ‘till last. This track is my personal favourite of the entire album; I’d even go as far as to call it a musical triumph. ‘Vultures are People Too’ is a real creative explosion, with each member proving their worth through a perfectly crafted outpouring of their individual talents. The song is weirdly beautiful, with odd lyrics that somehow fit with the fluid musical stylings perfectly. It features an odd mix of styles and techniques that really shouldn’t meld together that well, but everything seems to come full circle into a perfect mix. For a four minute song, it is surprisingly diverse and certainly gives the impression of being an epic piece of work. The strange, almost a cappella ‘outro’ proves to be a perfect and suitably haunting end to the album.

Overall, My Passion are hard to pin down and label, as much as magazines would like to- heck, even the band themselves struggle to give a name to their sound. Considering the style of their songs changes so often, one can’t help but think that this is one of the features that’ll be first to go if big record labels get their hands on the band. At times, their sound is so diverse, it seems rather jarring, and subsequently, I should be calling out for consistency. But personally, I believe My Passion to be one of those special musical jewels that only comes around once in a blue moon, and they should be cherished for it. You aren’t supposed to understand, analyse or unpick My Passion (rendering this review slightly useless), just open your ears, close your eyes to their image and appreciate them for what they are- four incredibly talented musicians. Or, alternatively, look upon them as three wonderful musicians, and one drummer who has surely ripped a hole in time and space under the crippling weight of his talents. All in all, ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ is, to smack a label on it, a ‘must-have album’, whether you’re a goth, metalhead, punk, scene-kid, whatever. Chances are, those who swing towards the heavier spectrum of things will have to mark the album as a guilty pleasure – that won’t matter. My Passion are a force to be reckoned with and, if they keep their sound and don’t bend to the pressures of the industry, their 2010 offering should be mind-blowing.

4.5 high fives out of 5!