I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love

If you're searching for a dose of party music, you won't find it on I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. Lyrically, this debut album by the outstanding (and my favorite) band, My Chemical Romance, is definitely on the darker side. Lyrics like "The amount of pills i'm taking, counteracts the booze i'm drinking", from Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us, and "I think i'll love to die alone" from Cubicles, are typical of the New Jersey band's less than rosy outlook. But like so many angst-ridden alternative rock/emo bands who have begun to emerge since the early 2000's, My Chemical Romance knows how to exuberant and introspective at the same time. Musically, the tend to be aggressive and hard-rocking, but lyrically, they're all about introspection. Produced by Thursday's lead singer, Geoff Rickly, this album is a generally phenomonal effort - one that deals with a lot of negative emotions, and does so in a very candid way. Some might find the lyrics depressing, but then again, rock music isn't necessary obligated to appease to positive outlooks 24/7. Saddness, pessimism, anger, disillusionment - none of which are difficult to find on this album - are like happiness, pleasure, and optimism. I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, doesn't fall short of exceptional, and is a noteworthy, generally respectable debut for the New Jersey combo.