I touched on this briefly back in August, but: Frank Iero (Death Spells, Leathermouth, My Chemical Romance) and his new band (frnkiero andthe cellabration) have recently released a record, called Stomachaches.
My feelings, the short version:
It’s awesome and I love it. I return to it when I am feeling abraded by life, and wish to use Iero’s voice as a honey-and-gravel blanket. Or when I want to shuffle dance on street corners. Whatever you may have thought of My Chem: if you like vigorous punk rock with fuzzy accents and the occasional delicate melody, give this a shot.
My feelings, the long version:
I’ve been listening to this and Gerard Way’s Hesitant Alien as point-counterpoint, and while I like what Gerard Way has been up to – more on that later – Iero’s work is more musically interesting to me. I find I’m re-listening to songs not only because they feel like they fall directly into a pre-cut groove in my head and heart but because I’m actively trying to track what he’s doing with feedback and drums and/or listen more closely to the lyrics. Basically, I’m super into the way he’s playing with elements of dissonance in the context of pop-inflected punk while exploring themes of loneliness, alienation and the sometimes weird ways people express affection.
And now, some highlights:
All I Want Is Nothing: the first ten seconds or so sound like a band lurching to life, and then the song kicks into (high) gear. After a long, silent summer, this was a welcome burst of aggressive noise.
She’s The Prettiest Girl At The Party And She Can Prove It With A Solid Right Hook: a prime example of a delicate melody. It’s a little slower and more reflective than some of the other songs, more, dare I say it, grown-up. But I mainly I love it for the way the soft, gleaming melody gets showcased at the beginning and then runs through the whole song like a bright ribbon.
Where Do We Belong? Anywhere But Here.: the last song on the record, which starts out stripped down and halfway through falls off a cliff made of surging guitars and ogre roar. I am a big fan of both of those things.
In conclusion: A++, looking forward to whatever he/they do next.
