Gerard Way – Hesitant Alien

MY CHEMICAL Romance almost entered the mainstream with their sometimes dark, sometimes deathly, sometimes epic, sometimes surprisingly uplifting rock So not only Goths and emos mourned the demise of this American band when frontman Gerard Way called it a day.

A year later, and Gerard is back as a solo artist, with an album that isn’t aimed only at those guys and gals for whom black is the height of fashion.

The 11 songs on Hesitant Alien – once you get past the user-unfriendly opening tracks – showcase Way’s talent for a great tune amidst the heavy, driving instrumentation.

In fact, Hesitant Alien is as much rock ‘n’ roll as it is heavy rock, the production less full-on than the likes of epic My Chemical Romance albums like Black Parade.

Much of Way’s solo debut album sounds like it could have been recorded in a garage rather than a studio – something that often works to its advantage, giving Hesitant Alien the raw feel of a live album.

The production on the opening songs is disappointing, however, sounding a bit mushy, Way’s voice too low in the mix.

It's track five, Millions, before Way peeps out from behind the instruments and takes flight with a song reminiscent of his band heyday, sounding like an emotional closer to a My Chemical Romance set.

Brother also recalls MCR, while other songs range from uptempto and catchy to almost experimental. This is a guy having fun without being too chirpy.

All in all, a likeable record filled with some of Gerard Way’s strongest songs.

David Knights