When an artist dons a bright blue suit and
dyes his hair red, you know there’s some sort of change going on. Former My
Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way has ditched his emo ways and has opted for
a life of British indie rock instead. It’s a big transition but there’s no
doubt that he manages to pull it off seeing as he’s a very talented vocalist.
Look out for the British influences on this album because it’s chock-a-block
full of them.
From the “Coffee and TV” sounding “No
Shows”, to the ballsy Kasabian style lad rock of “Get The Gang Together”,
there’s barely a hint of American inspiration on “Hesitant Alien”, except for
the odd moment. It’s really quite impressive how Gerard Way has managed to open
up his mind to all of this music. Not only is it cool as fuck, but it also
shows that he’s one intelligent and cultured man.
What’s even more impressive is the way that
he’s managed to ditch the My Chemical Romance sound. How many front men/women
have gone solo over the years and sounded exactly like their band? Exactly. The
band’s last album “Danger Days” may have ditched the emo label slightly but
it’s certainly different in comparison to “Hesitant Alien”.
The thing that mostly makes this album
stand out as being distinctly British is the guitar sounds. Opener “The Bureau”
contains licks Brian May would’ve used in his Queen heyday before he decided to
go all “save the badgers”. This is only the tip of the iceberg though,
“Drugstore Perfume” has that Pulp-esque wooziness when it comes to guitar
sounds and “Juarez” is straight up, balls to the wall punk rock with it’s
energetic power chords.
If all this wasn’t enough then you’re in
luck. You’ve also got a tiny bit of American indie going on too. However, don’t
get your hopes up too high because this album is roughly 90% British sounding.
Take “Zero Zero” for example, this is a song that could quite easily fit onto
the Pixies “Doolittle” album, just listen to those guitar tones and that vocal
delivery for god’s sake. Ok, so the vocals may not be as meaty as Frank Black’s,
but they’re still kind of aggressive.
Even if you strip away all of the
influences on “Hesitant Alien”, this is still a collection of work that has
excellent songwriting at its core. The
melodies are memorable. The lyrics are vivid. What’s not to love? The beautiful
“Brother” really shows Gerard Way’s knack for writing a decent tune and “Action
Cat” looks dead set to become a fan favorite at live shows.
Gerard Way may have lost his band members
but he hasn’t lost his exceptional musical ability. “Hesitant Alien” is the start of a new era
and the future looks bright for the ex My Chemical Romance singer. If this
British influenced sound can continue to develop and get more popular then
there’s no reason why Gerard Way could headline stadiums. For the meantime
though, let’s all listen to this thoroughly enjoyable debut album.
OVERALL RATING: 8/10
BEST SONGS: ACTION CAT, BROTHER, JUAREZ.
