The return of the concept album

By Todd Martens, Times Staff Writer

Artist:
My Chemical Romance

Album
The Black Parade

Concept:
The emo rockers went all Broadway on last year’s “The Black Parade,” a song-cycle about a hospital patient dying of cancer (those crazy rock ‘n’ roll kids and their obsession with life-threatening illnesses). It’s part Queen, part Smashing Pumpkins and one of the weirdest mainstream rock records in recent history.