Number One & Number Two - My Chemical Romance

I was introduced to My Chemical Romance by my Dad, who purchased their album "The Black Parade" when it was released in 2006. I fell in love with their punk sound mixed with a dark pop feel. It had a gritty feel, but also had pop tendencies; they could be melancholy yet make you want to pump your fist in the air. They had a unique sound I couldn't get out of my head, and I have been following their work since. Their last album, "Danger Days: The Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys", was an interesting departure from their previous darker albums. It was a concept album, mainly centered on a fictional post-apocalyptic California. I absolutely loved it, but became even more intrigued when I learned about how Danger Days came to be. My Chemical Romance originally had an entire album recorded and ready to go when they wrote the lead single off of Danger Days, "Na Na Na". They loved the feel and idea of the song so much that they wrote the rest of Danger Days based on it. So a lot of people asked, "What's going to happen to the other album?". Originally, members of My Chemical Romance stated that it would stay locked away for a while, possibly till the end of the band. `However, in September, it was announced that 10 of the songs would be released in pairs every month from October until February of 2013. The first two pairs have been released, aptly named "Number One" and "Number Two". Number One contained the songs "Boy Division" and "Tomorrow's Money", and Number Two contained "Ambulance" and "Gun."

• Boy Division starts out fast and in your face. Gerard Way's voice briefly intros into an explosion of sound. Rocking riffs and a steady beat lay down a solid foundation to an energetic song while Way's vocals make you want to sing along and raise a fist in the air. The build-up into the chorus is fantastic, with the drums and guitar rising and falling in sync with Way's vocals. Way switches things up from more melodic to a more raspy sound, creating a darker overall sound. The breakdown section was incredible, making you want to jump around and bang your head along with the resounding drums. Overall, it's a truly great song, and one of my favorites from MCR. 5/5

• Tomorrow's Money has the feel of a classic rock-n-roll song, starting with a great riff and building drums. The grit that makes MCR's sound comes off strong and loud in this song, with Way getting down and dirty with his vocals throughout the verses. He comes in much stronger for the chorus, which is another fist-pumping anthem. The bridge grows slowly but surely, with way crooning the listener until he screams and the guitar breaks into an awesome solo. The drum section of the chorus has to be the best part; so clean, crisp, and resounding as it drives the song. Another fantastic song by MCR. 5/5

• Ambulance begins with gang vocals, which is unusual for MCR, but executed very well. The song in general is more emotional and less anthem-like than the previous songs released. It has a hopeful tone to it, especially accentuated by Way's voice as he pleads for someone to "save his life". The chorus is the highlight; still driving, yet in a more upbeat manner. The piano part in the background of the bridge is so simple, yet beautiful. I can see this song being a great acoustic song of just piano and Way's vocals. An awesome addition to MCR's catalog  and a new favorite of mine.  5/5

• Gun. has a sweet bass intro over the drums, reminiscent of MCR's song "Planetary(GO!)". This song further transitions towards an emotional feel trying to get your blood pumping. The lyrics really like to play off the word "gun" and anything else that rhymes with it, which works out better than I would have thought. Usually repetitiveness becomes annoying, but this pattern was done very nicely. I like that they did two verses in a row instead of doing a typical verse-chorus pattern. The bridge doesn't differ too much from the verses, which is good; changing up the patterns and styles keeps things fresh. The chorus is also well done, borrowing a pop feel while keeping the punk alive. Another great song from the boys in MCR. 4/5

There are 3 more pairs of songs that will be released, and I plan on reviewing them all. So stay tuned! The next pair will come out on December 18th, so a review will be posted soon after. Thanks for reading!