Green Day or Blue Day, you decide! (21st Century Breakdown - Green Day)

Member Name: paulhanton

Product:	21st Century Breakdown - Green Day
Date:	28/05/09 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Couple of real stonkers.

Disadvantages: Too long, too pretentious.

21st Century Breakdown (2009)

Green Day.

Having only just bought this on download in the last two weeks, it is quite unusual for me to review an album so quickly. Though as I have listened to it probably 20 times already it seems appropriate to review now, though I have to say, I already have a feeling that my opinion may change on some of these tracks given time....and if I remember them.

What I mean by this is that 'American Idiot' a previous album was raw, fresh and this album, well, you'll see from my review. Now according to Wikipedia, this is their 8th album, yet I have only heard 'American Idiot' in it's entirety before this.

As there are 18 tracks on the album I do not intend to fully review every track, but I will give you, in my opinion, some highlights and low points, starting with the fact, as you will see from the track list, that they have been just too bloomin pretentious with putting the songs into 'acts', although I am sure fans will decry this and tell me that I just don't 'get it'...maybe.


~~The Songs~~

Track one is a little 'bluesy' number, very American, very short, made to sound like a 'lost recording', nonsense. Then we get the title track, not a bad offering, but a little tame; reminds me more of McFly than Green Day, not a keeper in my books.

The next offering is a definite highlight, and a single success, you can't help but hear it everywhere right now; catchy and melodic, but already I am starting to think that this album is a lot 'tamer' than earlier offerings, more polished yes, better musically yes, but some of that raw energy seems to have disappeared. Nonetheless, this is a good punk pop song.

As for track 3, forget it, formulaic tosh, a low point.

Track 5 is interesting track and very similar in style, pace and pitch to 'Wake me up before September ends'. I happen to think that they do these tracks well, where they start with a ballad like vocal then crank it up, much more rock than punk in my opinion, I do like this.

Track 6 is much more punk, much more 'Clash' and much more energetic and fun, another highlight.

Track 7 is another ballad like song, which strangely at the beginning reminds me of The Beatles, really. It does not really pick up at all, I found it great on first listen then it rapidly became boring as hell, even the competent guitar solo.

On to 'Act II', pretentious idiots......

The first two tracks in this 'Act' are actually okay, but nothing special, the intro to 'Peacemaker' is cool, apart from that, they are just okay.

I quite like track 10 which clearly borrows it's riffs from the classic American 'road' singers like Springsteen, the lyrics are good, the music, much more simple and 'clean' than some of the earlier tracks, and it feels more energetic, good stuff.

Track 11, forget.

Track 12, not to be confused with track 4....a strange offering that has a 'circus' musical backing that is quite dark, as are the lyrics....this song is different enough to stand out as a highlight. Innovative and I like this a lot.

Track 13...boring and some.

On to Act III

Track 14, great energy, great lyrics, actually, for me, probably the best track of the album in some ways...it feels quite amateur and has a punk/mod feel to it, bit like early Jam...good stuff. The energy continues into track 15, as does the Jam feel. Maybe I was a little judgemental in poo pooing their 'Acts' as this is certainly a different style to the previous two, and much more in keeping with an altogether earlier Green Day, I'm liking this.

Track 16 has some interesting lyrics, but for some reason I find it all a bit too bland.

Track 17 starts with the opening 'far away' lyrics from track 1, then just goes a bit bonkers, which is okay by me. Though then we realise quite quickly into the nearly 5 minutes that it is incredibly repetitive, shame.

The final track 'See the light' has a nice acoustic start that is 'joined' by some brilliant drumming and becomes quite a full on rock/punk number that thankfully seems a little more disjointed than previous offerings, thus a bit more raw, great rock guitar solo. Okay, no highlight, but not a low point either.


~~Final Thoughts~~

It is not that this is a bad album, it is actually quite good, and in places, exceptionally good.....but....

It is too long, too pretentious and too 'samey'. 12 tracks, or even 10 would have been plenty, and this 'Act' business, I mean, really, come on, that aint punk, that is more like, well, I dunno, but it does nothing for the album at all.


~~Full Track Listing~~


1. Song of the Century

Act I: Heroes and Cons
2. 21st Century Breakdown
3. Know Your Enemy
4. ¡Viva la Gloria!
5. Before the Lobotomy
6. Christian's Inferno
7. Last Night on Earth

Act II: Charlatans and Saints
8. East Jesus Nowhere
9. Peacemaker
10. Last of the American Girls
11. Murder City
12. ¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)
13. Restless Heart Syndrome

Act III: Horseshoes and Handgrenades
14. Horseshoes and Handgrenades
15. The Static Age
16. 21 Guns
17. American Eulogy
18. See the Light

Summary: 21st Century Breakdown.