IN REVIEW: Gerard Way - "Hesitant Alien"

Anyone who kept paying attention to My Chemical Romance past their star-making turn in the mid-aughts could have seen Hesitant Alien coming. Eternally pigeonholed as an emo/punk band (you know, the broken hearts/slit wrists set), MCR evolved steadily into a grander, less insular version of itself. It kept things fresh for them but lost too many runny eyeliner clad fans along the way, and by the time they officially called it quits in 2013 the news was met with more shrugs than tears.

The thing is, for the perceived drop in quality among the "emo kids", MCR actually got better as a band as they went along. Even their rougher early singles had immense pop sensibilities, and so it only made sense that these pop leanings would grow sharper and more defined. Bemoan the muddled high concept behind Danger Days all you want, but you can't deny that the band's final official album had some monstrously catchy tunes.

Gerard Way's debut solo record doesn't necessarily pick up where Danger Days left off, but one gets the sense MCR could have easily ended up in the same sonic neighbourhood, if only for an album or two. Hesitant Alien incorporates some of Way's previous tendencies, namely touches of glam, pop and punk. More often than not, though, Way is content to keep things fun and mostly free of the conceptual aspirations that sometimes got in the songs' way with MCR.

While Hesitant Alien isn't shy about embracing its pop charm, it's surprising just how much of a rock record it is. If nothing else, Way deserves credit for utilizing as much edge as he does; he could have just as easily brought in a wall of synthesizers and an army of trendy songwriters and producers. Instead, he's staying true to rock n' roll, and that's to be commended. If I'm being honest, Hesitant Alien is the most enjoyable rock record Way's been involved in because there's no pressure for it to be anything it doesn't want to. Gone are emo expectations; the songs are simply expected to be good songs.

Way takes the freedom that comes with severance from an established aesthetic and runs with it. While he may very well be simply playing a character (as he has been wont to do historically), he seems eager to explore styles and genres that MCR may have been (no pun intended) hesitant to. There is a lot of Bowie and Beatles at play in these tracks (with perhaps a hint of Jagger), painting Way in my mind as somewhat of a younger, cleaner cut Scott Weiland (especially with the dye job). Unlike Weiland's first solo record, however, Hesitant Alien is content to co-exist with its author's legacy rather than run away from it. It's a solo record that's smart enough to know that grudges don't last forever; if MCR comes back there are songs here that can easily work their way into the setlist.

It isn't a flawless record, though, and a couple of tracks failed to leave much of an impression after repeat listenings. However, the tunes hit more often than they miss, and at under forty minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome; aside from the unabashed intro track The Bureau, this is a no muss/no fuss pop/rock record that knows its job and rarely deviates. Fans who have been more concerned with Way's artistic evolution than his style will find plenty to sink their teeth into here, and even the shallowest of MCR faithfuls won't be offended by some of the sonic choices Way's made. All in all, Hesitant Alien acts as a more than adequate bridge between your preconceived notion of what Gerard Way is supposed to be and what he truly aspires to become.

September 30, 2014 • Reprise

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