It’s easy for critics and naysayers to slap the “emo” tag onto My Chemical Romance. You can’t deny that the band has grabbed the attention of an entire mascara-wearing MySpace generation. But this fact tends to draw attention away from the fact that MCR is one of the best punk bands in the business. Sure, The Black Parade may have erred a bit on the theatrical rock side, but their major label debut, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, was one of the most aggressive releases to hit the radio waves this decade. That’s the MCR I first met and continue to love. Well, after two years without releasing any new material, that same My Chemical Romance is back with their own rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row.” Fans of the band’s punk-rock zest will definitely fall for this new cover.
Before even listening, just accept that you’ll like this song. It was written for what will perhaps be the greatest movie of the year (or dare I say, decade): Watchmen. Frontman Gerard Way has made it well known that he is quite the comic book aficionado, so I’m sure he and the band immediately jumped on the opportunity to record a track for the film adaptation of the greatest graphic novel of all time. But setting the comic book ties aside, this punk-rock homage to a Dylan classic has turned out to be a perfect return for the band. The video for “Desolation Row” depicts MCR playing in a theater in front of a crowd of mohawk-adorned punks and hooligans. And wouldn’t you know it, once they start having too much the fun, the riot police come in and crash the party. Typical. Although the concept behind the video may be a bit simple, it definitely captures the raw attitude of the song. Save for a gritty guitar solo by shredmaster/guitarist Ray Toro, the song pretty much consists only of power chords and gang vocals. Usually that’d be a bit too simple for me, but for some reason it feels just right this time around.
