I My Chemical Romance si formano nel 2000 e sono provenienti dallo stato del New Jersey. Con questo lavoro, dal titolo lungo, da semi-sconosciuti la band esordisce sul mercato discografico americano nel 2002. Il disco è uscito sotto l'etichetta dell'indipendente Eyeball Records ed è stato prodotto da Geoff Rickly membro dei Thursday.
L'opera è composta da 11 canzoni (10 + un intro strumentale caratterizzata solo alle chitarre).
Durante l'ascolto del platter le influenze di altri gruppi si fanno sentire, sicuramente spiccano quelle degli A.F.I., tanto che in effetti sembra sentire loro sotto altro nome.
Il disco prende due strade diverse: tonalità dark e gotiche con componimenti abbastanza lenti e cupi (proprio alla A Fire Inside) e canzoni invece più improntate all'hardcore melodico con aperture emo-core (con leggeri spruzzi di screaming vocals) che giocano tutto sulla dinamicità della sezione ritmica.
Tra queste due strade sicuramente convince di più la seconda, percorso che poi verrà completamente battuta nel successivo album. Tra quelle con venature hardcore new-school, nonché la più bella del disco, è senza dubbio la solare "Drowning lessons" con un riffing davvero bello, sembra quasi essere adatta come colonna sonora per una vacanza. Pezzo, che se non ci dicessero che a suonare fosse il gruppo di Gerard Way, sembrerebbe pescato dal repertorio Lagwagon-iano, soprattutto per il retrogusto delle chitarre tipicamente made in California.
Buone pure "Headfirst for halos" che ha un attacco strumentale davvero piacevole per i primi 60 secondi e presenta un buon solo di chitarra con un finale più aggressivo e "Skyline and turnstiles".
Peccato il disco non sia tutto su questa onda ma presenta molte canzoni trascurabili e altre eccessivamente lunghe e poco riuscite. Inoltre il cd manca un po' di omogeneità tra i vari episodi. In questo senso è da vedere "Demolition lovers" in cui durante i sei e passa minuti non riesce ad avere spunti particolari se non annoiare con il tentativo di copiare da una certa tradizione dark. Sulla stessa linea intimista è pure "Vampires never will hurt you" che alterna segmenti lenti e cupi con parti vocali sussurrate a parti più veloci e urlate, ma che rimane nell'ombra.
Da segnalare la godibile e spedita di ritmo e durata "This is the best day ever". Particolare è invece l'atmosfera che si respira in "Sunset over Monroeville" un pezzo tranquillo che si stacca dall'hardcore e ancorato ad un ritmo lento e scandito da dolci arpeggi. Vogliamo considerarla una ballata? Be difficile specie se paragonate alle vere ballate "digeribili" e dal facile ritornello di "The Black Parade".
Le altre composizioni ricalcano il copione già raccontato come la classica "Our lady of sorrow" o il mid-tempo di "Cubicles".
C'è da dire che alcune canzoni non sono per nulla male, anche se non riescono ad arrivare a toccare gli stessi picchi emotivi di quelle su " Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge". Per intenderci mancano una potente "Hang 'em high" o una dolce "The ghost of you".
Da tenere presente che il disco non è di quelli che si assimilano al primo ascolto, anzi le varie tracce presentano strutture parecchio articolate, specie se confrontate soprattutto con le canzoni dell'ultimo album in studio e quindi sono necessari parecchi ascolti. Per quanto riguarda appunto l'aspetto di assimilazione dei contenuti si potrebbe fare un paragone con un qualsiasi disco degli Underoath (appunto non facile all'orecchio al primo ascolto). Non solo dimenticatevi i facili ritornelli, qui i refrain a tratti non si avvertono neanche e a tratti manco se ne trovano. Detto in pratica non troverete ritornelli appiccicosi di gruppi come Aiden e dei trascurabili The Used e questo è un pregio.
Dall'altro canto ci sono anche diverse pecche riconducibili, (come già detto al fatto che quasi nessuna canzone sia indimenticabile) e agli ingredienti sonori che i MCR tentano di miscelare nel calderone, che spesso e volentieri non si amalgamano bene. In sostanza il combo tenta di mischiare troppo le carte in tavola e troppi generi contemporaneamente senza saperli dosare alla perfezione.
Chiudo con il paragone con un ultimo gruppo: i Silverstein. Pensate di trovare una nuova "Smile in your sleep" alternativa da mettere in heavy rotation sul vostro lettore mp3? Non fatevi illusioni non troverete il nuovo "Discovering The Waterfront" ma semplicemente un debut album che non passerà alla storia, con i suoi difetti ma anche con la sua discreta spontaneità. Qui magari chi conoscerà solo il gruppo per l'ultimo singoletto da Mtv storcerà il naso, ma il gruppo che suona su questo disco sembra completamente un'altra band.
Infine un cenno per quanto riguarda la produzione che si attesta sulla sufficienza, non avrà suoni indimenticabili o eccessivamente curati ma risulta ottimale per il genere e sicuramente quella che più si adatta al loro stile a differenza di quella hard-rock super pomposa, di maniera e trionfalistica (diciamo pure di stampo giustizialista, come direbbe il cavaliere noir ad Antonio) di "The Black Parade" che ha snaturato per buona parte il loro sound originale dei primi due album.
Un lavoro d'esordio che fotografa il combo com'era agli inizi di carriera, dai contenuti ancora un po' acerbi, ma che anticipa un futuro promettente già a partire dal successivo secondo album. Da ascoltare se volete conoscere il gruppo com'era agli esordi ancora incontaminato dal music-business, anche se il picco qualitativo dei My Chemical Romance rimane il successivo "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge".
Elenco tracce testi e video
03 Vampires Will Never Hurt You (05:26)
And if they get me and the sun goes down into the ground
And if they get me take this spike to my heart and...
And if they get me and the sun goes down
And if they get me take this spike and...
You put the spike in my heart
And if the sun comes up will it tear the skin right off our bones
And then as razor sharp white teeth rip out our necks
I saw you there
Someone get me to the doctor
Someone get me to a church
Where they can pump this venom gaping hole
And you must keep your soul like a secret in your throat
And if they come and get me...
What if
You put the spike in my heart
And if they get me and the sun goes down
And if they get me take this spike and...
''Come on''
Can you take this spike
Will it fill our hearts with thoughts of endless night time sky
Can you take this spike
Will it wash away this jet black feeling
And now the nightclubs
Set the stage for this
They come in pairs
She said we'll shoot back holy water like cheap whiskey
You're always there
Someone get me to the doctor
And someone call the nurse
And someone buy me roses
And someone burned the church
We're hanging out with corpses
And driving in this hearse
And someone save my soul tonight
Please save my soul
Can you take this spike
Will it fill our hearts with thoughts of endless night time sky
Can you take this spike
Will it wash away the jet black now
''Look out
Come on''
And as these days watch over time
And as these days watch over time
And as these days watch over us tonight
And as these days watch over time
And as these days watch over time
And as these days watch over us tonight
I'll never let them
I'll never let them
I'll never let them hurt you
Not tonight
I'll never let them
I can't forget them
I'll never let them hurt you
I promise
Struck down
Before our prime
Before you got off the floor
Can you stake my heart
Can you stake my heart
Can you stake my heart
Can you stake my heart
Can you stake my heart
Can you stake my heart
Can you
Stake me
Before
The sun
Goes down...
04 Drowning Lessons (04:23)
Without a sound I took her down
And dressed in red and blue I squeezed
Imaginary wedding gown
That you can't wear in front of me
A kiss goodbye
Your twisted shell
As rice grains and roses fall at your feet
Say goodbye
The hundredth time
And then tomorrow we'll do it again
Tomorrow we'll do it again
I dragged her down
I put her out
And back there I left her where no one could see
And lifeless cold
Into this well
I stared as this moment was held for me
A kiss goodbye
Your twisted shell
As rice grains and roses fall at your feet
Say goodbye
The hundredth time
And then tomorrow we'll do it again
I never thought it'd be this way
Just me and you we're here alone
And if you stay
All I'm asking for is
A thousand bodies piled up
I never thought would be enough
To show you just what I've been thinking
And I'll keep on making more
Just to prove that I adore
Every inch of sanity
All I'm asking for is...
All I'm asking for is...
These hands stained red
From the times that I've killed you and then
We can wash down this engagement ring
With poison and kerosene
We'll laugh as we die
And we'll celebrate the end of things with cheap champagne
Without...
Without a sound.
Without...
Without a sound,
And I wish you away.
Without a sound,
And I wish you away.
Without a sound, without a sound,
And I wish you away.
Without a sound, without a sound,
And I wish you away.
Without a sound, without a sound,
And I wish you away.
05 Our Lady of Sorrows (02:05)
We could be perfect for one last night
And die like star crossed lovers when we fight
We could settle this affair
If you would shed your yellow
Take my hand and then
We'll solve the mystery of laceration gravity
This riddle of revenge
Please understand that it has to be this way and
Stand up fucking tall
Don't let them see your back
And take my fucking hand
And never be afraid again
We've only got one chance to put things at an end
And cross the patron saint of switchblade fights
You said we're not celebrities
We spark and fade
They die by threes
I'll make you understand
And you can trade me for an apparition
Stand up fucking tall
Don't let them see your back
And take my fucking hand
And never...
Trust
You said
Who put the words in your head?
Oh how wrong we were to think that immortality meant never dying
Stand...
Take my fucking hand...
Take my fucking...
Stand up fucking tall
Don't let them see your back
Take my fucking hand
And never be afraid again
Just because my hand's around your throat...
06 Headfirst for Halos (03:28)
Yeah!
Well let's go back to the middle of the day that starts it all
I can't begin to let you know just what I'm feeling
And now the red ones make me fly
And the blue ones help me fall
And I think I'll blow my brains against the ceiling
And as the fragments of my skull begin to fall
Fall on your tongue like pixie dust
Just think happy thoughts and we'll fly home
We'll fly home
You and I
We'll fly home
Come on
Well now I'm back in the middle of the day that starts it all
I can't begin to let you know just what I'm feeling
And now the red ones make me fly
And the blue ones help me fall
And I think I'll blow my brains against the ceiling now
We'll fly home
You and I
We'll fly home
Now honestly, that's what I said to her
What I said to her
Think happy thoughts
Think happy thoughts
Think happy thoughts
Think happy thoughts
Think happy thoughts
Think happy thoughts
Think happy thoughts
Think happy thoughts
Think ha... WHOO!
07 Skylines and Turnstiles (03:23)
You're not in this alone
Let me break this awkward silence
Let me go
Go on record
Be the first to say I'm sorry
Hear me out
And if you take me down
Would you lay me out
And if the world needs something better
Let's give them one more reason now
We walk in single file
We light our rails and punch our time
Ride escalators colder than a cell
This broken city sky
Like butane on my skin
And stolen from my eyes
Hello angel
Tell me
Where are you
Tell me where we go from here
This broken city sky
Like butane on my skin
Stolen from my eyes
Hello angel
Tell me
Where are you?
Tell me where we go from here
Tell me we go from...
And in this moment we can't close our lids
On burning eyes
Our memories blanket us with friends we know
Like fallout vapor
Steel corpses stretch out towards an ending sun
Scorched and black
It reaches in and tears your flesh apart
As ice cold hands
Rip into your heart
That's if you've still got one that's left
Inside that cave you call a chest
And after seeing what we saw
Can we still reclaim our innocence?
And if the world needs something better
Let's give them one more reason now
This broken city sky
Like butane on my skin
And stolen from my eyes
Hello angel
Tell me
Where are you?
Tell me where we go from here
This broken city sky
Like butane on my skin
Stolen from my eyes
Hello angel
Tell me
Where are you
Tell me where we go from here
Tell me where we go from here...
08 Early Sunsets Over Monroeville (05:05)
Late dawns and early sunsets,
Just like my favorite scenes,
Then holding hands and life was perfect,
Just like up on the screen.
And the whole time while always giving,
Counting your face among the living.
Up and down escalators,
Pennies and colder fountains,
Elevators and half price sales,
Trapped in by all these mountains.
Running away and hiding with you,
I never thought they'd get me here.
Not knowing you'd change from just one bite,
I fought them all off just to hold you close and tight.
(But does anyone notice?
But does anyone care?
And if I had the guts to put this to your head...
But would anything matter if you're already dead?
And should I be shocked now by the last thing you said?
Before I pull this trigger,
Your eyes vacant and stained...
But does anyone notice?
But does anyone care?
And if I had the guts to put this to your head...
And would anything matter if you're already dead?
And now should I be shocked by the last thing you said?
Before I pull this trigger,
Your eyes vacant and stained...
And in saying you loved me,
Made things harder at best,
And these words changing nothing
As your body remains,
And there's no room in this hell,
There's no room in the next,
And our memories defeat us,
And I'll end this direst.
But does anyone notice?
But does anyone care?
And if I had the guts to put this to your head...
But does anything matter if you're already dead?
And should I be shocked now by the last thing you said?
Before I pull this trigger,
Your eyes vacant and stained...
And in saying you loved me,
Made things harder at best,
And these words changing nothing
As your body remains,
And there's no room in this hell,
There's no room in the next,
But does anyone notice there's a corpse in this bed?)
10 Cubicles (03:51)
It's the tearing sound of love-notes
Casting out the gray stained windows
And the view outside is sterile
And I'm only two cubes down
I'll photocopy all the things that we could be
If you took the time to notice me
But you can't now, I don't blame you
And it's not your fault that no one ever does
But you don't work here anymore
It's just a vacant 3 by 4
And they might fill your place
A temporary stand-in for your face
This happens all the time
And I can't help but think I'll die alone
So I'll spend my time with strangers
A condition that is terminal
In this water-cooler romance
And its coming to a close
We could be in the park and dancing by a tree
Kicking over blades we see
Or a dark beach with a black view
As pin-pricks in the velvet catch our fall
But you don't work here anymore
It's just a vacant 3 by 4
And they might fill your place
A temporary stand-in for your face
It happens all the time
And I can't help but think I'll die alone
I know you don't work here anymore, I know you don't work here anymore
I know you don't work here anymore, I know you don't work here anymore
I know you don't work here anymore, I know you don't work here anymore
Sometimes I think I'll die alone, sometimes I think I'll die alone
Sometimes I think I'll die alone, live and breathe and die alone
Sometimes I think I'll die alone, sometimes I think I'll die alone
Sometimes I think I'll die alone, I'd think I'd love to die alone
I think I'd love to die alone
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Altre recensioni
Di Tobby
Il disco è tutto il contrario: sì, anche il punk/rock "in salsa dark" può essere vitale, grezzo, divertente e soprattutto genuino.
Quella genuinità che si è andata irrimediabilmente perdendo nei successivi "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge" e "The Black Parade".
Di gege89
"I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love ci fa conoscere probabilmente i veri My Chemical Romance."
Le chitarre graffiano, Ray Toro e Frank Iero soprattutto non sbagliano un colpo.
