Can we talk about Frank Iero for a moment?
I’ll be the first to admit that I have been sleeping on Stomachaches and Parachutes. I’ve listened to them, I’ve occasionally bopped to them, and I drove from ATX to Kansas to see Frank Iero and The Patience live, but I have not given these records the attention they deserve. I know, fuck me, what a loser.
The release of “Young and Doomed” has me reevaluating my poor life choices regarding Iero’s solo career, and I think it’s about time I talk about it. This is going to be a short post, but there’s a few thoughts I want to get on paper before diving back into Iero’s world.
To start us off, I find Stomachaches beautiful in its matter-of-fact ambiguity. It’s refreshing in that it doesn’t demand anything from you, but it opens you up to receive some kind of truth without necessarily realizing it. It’s all very Nirvana without the repetitive track formula and the implied superiority complex. (Don’t bite my head off for that comment, I think we can all agree that Cobain was acting a smidge entitled when he claimed Pearl Jam’s Ten was commercial garbage. #PearlJamRules #FightMe)
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Nirvana as much as your average Joe, but for a band that identified authenticity as a lack of commercial success to mount a social rebellion against the popularized hard rock genre, its legacy makes it the poster child for commodified “phase” propaganda that does little to challenge dominant hegemonic systems. It’s essentially become a tool for privileged “Bernie or Bust” kids to declare their superior taste in music, shit on other artists (and “fangirls”) until they finish their first year of community college, buy into corporate America’s unregulated capitalist attitude, get married, buy their $300k suburban house, have their 2.8 kids and suddenly decide that the reason underprivileged communities aren’t successful is because they’re “lazy.” Again, #FightMe.
Iero’s Stomachaches, on the other hand, while absolutely highlighting all the great qualities of a punk-grunge sound manages to take it a step further by adding that dose of existentialism. The tracks genuinely push you into an out-of-body experience, much like what I love about Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” and X Ambassadors’ “Love Songs Drug Songs.” It’s aware, but it’s not forced. It exists, and by doing so in good form with an unfaltering charisma, it means something. That something can be anything to anyone, and that’s part of the beauty behind it all.
Also, is it bad that I love how absolutely fucking confused I am by the “Weighted” music video? I’m sure if I spent enough time watching it I could probably come up with something meaningful to say, but it’s just weird as fuck. And that’s okay. Although I’m not sure what Iero and ATL’s obsession with the lead singer turning out to be a flesh-eating zombie is during this 2014-2015 era.
The melodic intro to “she’s the prettiest girl at the party and she…” has me feeling all kinds of special ways. The same goes for “stage 4 fear of trying,” which I wholeheartedly believe should be used in a coming-of-age film. The record as a whole is brilliant in its angst-driven cognizance. It’s not quite stream-of-consciousness, but it’s an internal dialogue that narrates and provides a sense of ownership to one’s life experiences.
You know what it is? It’s casual. Casual in its, “this is what the fuck we are and take what you will from it.” I fucking love it.
Parachutes, on the other hand shoves you (willing or not) into a psychedelic mind-fuck in the most glorious of ways. Seriously, just fucking destroy me PAH-LEASE.
“World Destroyer” captures such an enlightening frustration and self-loathing that can ironically be used as a catalyst for hope and self-made salvation. The guitars shred you up one side and down the other while Iero’s vocals just pierce your fucking soul and dance along your skin just about possessing your damn body. In short, it’s fucking fantastic.
“Miss Me,” (for whatever god-forsaken reason) makes me want to curl up on the floor with some chips and queso and watch Juno while mindlessly contemplating what the fuck I’m gonna do with my life. I can’t explain it any other way than that. On a securely unrelated note, “Oceans” needs to be a background track for a road-trip film. It just sounds like something that belongs in an indie “check me out in my classic vehicle driving down a two-lane highway” movie. Preferably with the guy who plays Steve in Stranger Things.
I would have to say that my favorite track from the record is “The Resurrectionist, or an Existential Crisis in C#” just on the vibe alone. The lyrics are absolutely relevant, the melody is beautifully constructed and lulls you into a comfortable sense of understanding, the vocals knowingly narrate the same story that I’m sure we’ve all told ourselves at one point, and title is just fantastic.
The album I would say is deceptively more “aggressive” than Stomachaches, but it’s not in any way violent. It’s cathartic, and I would also dare to say that it’s even more internal that Iero’s previous album due to the themes and various life experiences that inspired the record. It’s brutally honest and at times heartbreaking, but it provides a space to come face to face with the insecurities and demons that you find yourself plagued with. The “aggressive” instruments are actually inviting in that you find yourself welcoming the raw energy, which then pushes you into an existential confrontation with your own sense of self.
To summarize, Iero has managed to not only immortalize himself in the hearts and minds of our generation as a part of one of the greatest alt-rock bands of all time, but he’s also continued the fight on the front lines of our emotional turmoil by providing us with more tracks that help us (now adult) Millennials try to figure out what the fuck we’re supposed to do now. I have it in my notes to watch (and write about) Way’s Umbrella Academy in support of another life-changing artist’s solo career, but that’s going to have to wait until I have an entire day with absolutely nothing going on.
I’m beyond excited to see what Iero and the Future Violents have to offer, and I promise from here on out to pay more attention to this ultimate rock-dad’s career.
