I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love - My Chemical Romance

After having reviewed their latest album (Which you can see here) I felt compelled to listen to the only other album of My Chemical Romance I hadn't heard, their debut album.  I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love is a very pure album, constantly playing the chords that made the famous emo-punk band who they were.  This, however, can be tiresome.  To me, this album was a bit too repetitive, constantly playing the same themes and all the songs sharing the same vibe (wow such an eloquent way to use my words I know).  I can see how this album must have started MCR on the way to fame in the emo underground, but it didn't really catch my attention.

Some noteworthy songs from the album include:  Vampires Will Never Hurt You, a slightly screamo song with some good, heavy transitions.  Headfirst For Halos, an upbeat rock song that takes a rest between choruses, my personal favorite from this album.  Lastly, This Is The Best Day Ever, another upbeat song that leans more to its emo side while staying pretty rock'd-out.

It pisses me off that I have only given My Chemical Romance negative reviews when they have such amazing albums.  As I had said before, this is not a bad band, not by a long shot.  All bands have albums that lack things or are not as good as our favorites, this being a clear example of it.  If you are a big fan of MCR or emo-punk then I suggest you give this album a listen, because it really isn't that bad, it just isn't one of my personal favorites.  If you aren't really a fan of emo-punk or you don't even know what it is, you should probably ignore this album.

Hesitation Marks - Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails was a hidden gem to me, since I first heard their song "Only" (I hate vevo but I couldn't find the video anywhere else) I was hooked.  But that was when I had no internet connection, and no way of listening to NiN, so I forgot...  Until a friend of mine, Alejandra, started to talk to me about them ("Duuuude check out this song").  I have had the privilege of hearing almost every one of their CDs since then.  Hesitation Marks is a very recent album released in 2013 that really made an impression on me.  While it remains true to its roots of industrial rock and Alt rock, it also feels much more organized. 

Real good tracks in this album, starting of with Copy of A, a song about existentialism (good example of industrial music while keeping it nice and clean) in a upbeat, industrialist rhythm.  Another good one is All Time Low a song with a kind of cow-boyish guitar and a relaxed pace.  Also, Various Methods of Escape, a song that pulls more towards Trent's other collaborations, like How To Destroy Angels.  My personal favorite from this album is Came Back Haunted, a song that talks of an unknown haunting apparition that leaves the singer scared.  I love this song for its slightly creepy tone and cool lyrics that weave a mysterious story.

A lot of NiN's records feel as if Trent Reznor (Main vocals, band's founder) just experimented with a lot of loud, Industrial sounds and techy music and put it on an album, but in Hesitation Marks you can see how far Trent has come as an experienced music writer and artist.  This album is the result of years in the business and love for the job, especially when you see how Trent has evolved as an artist, a musician and as a person.

The evolution of a crazy talented and handsome mo-fo

Bankrupt! - Phoenix

Phoenix is a band of constant hits, that always gets 2 or 3 big songs per album.  This album is almost the exception.  Although the album cover looks like a pattern that belongs on a tomato red tourist's shirt, this is another Phoenix album with some of the strange and pleasing synth-sounds that made Phoenix famous.  Bankrupt! is the album that bands usually do when slowing down successfully, or even last album material.  This doesn't mean that it's exempt of good music, but it is lacking in the kind of originality and fun music that made this amazing French band famous.

The big hit that mostly got the album rolling commercially is Entertainment, a song that uses Asiatic kinds of instruments and noises, slightly portraying the Phoenix spirit, all the while complementing itself with great vocals.  Another song is, my personal favorite right now, The Real Thing, a song that takes twists and turns, all the while remaining fun and pleasing.  The last song that I liked a lot was Bourgeois, a song that takes about a gullible middle class in a soft, up-beat tone.

All in all, I think that this isn't Phoenix's best album, but it's not their worst.  This kind of album is what I like to call a "closer album". After a band has had a lot of commercial success, they usually drop 1 or 2 albums that aren't quite as successful, and sometimes, just flat out bad.  Sometimes, afterwards they do an album tour in the hopes to boost its album sales, throw a greatest hits album and retire. I'm not saying it always happens, but it is quite common in the music industry.  I'm not saying they should just up and retire, I'm just accepting the probability before it breaks my heart, like it has before... (Fall out boy, My chemical Romance...)