Rock steady

It’s always exciting to discover bands as they emerge with exciting first albums, and Neon Trees is one such act. My rocker son Matteo loves this band and the first time I heard them, I thought The Killers with a twist — which is his all-time fave band. As for My Chemical Romance, it’s good to see them come out into the desert sun after the Black Parade days, and produce very solid stuff!

Neon Trees — Habits (Mercury). For a debut album, this is really mature and impressive, given that most debut albums will have one or two good tracks and then be comprised of filler material. While the current smash single, Animal is irresistible with its retro New Wave sound, don’t think that the band is a one-trick pony. Sure, they love the past and the influences that have made them what they are, but they manage to inject something fresh and energetic in the process. My other fave tracks are Sins of My Youth, Love & Affection and 1983. As for Farther Down, it’s the kind of mid-tempo ballad that showcases the kind of versatility the band is capable of; and should be one of those lit lighter stadium sing-alongs, the kind of song when tear-streaked fans come out in droves.

My Chemical Romance — Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Reprise). Back with a concept album that’s a departure from their macabre Black Parade days, this one is set in some futuristic post-Apocalypse world. Think Mad Max twinned with No Country for Old Men and Kill Bill, and this would be the soundtrack! While the majority of the tracks are solidly stadium rock material, the boys show they still have some surprises up their sleeves. Bulletproof Heart and the effervescent Sing should be the ones we’ll be singing along to in no time, replete with head-banging motions; but if there’s one track that really is my favorite, it would be Summertime, a track that has MCR sounding very much like a more mature The Cure — worth the price of admission alone!