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Freddie
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 Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 3:09 am Post subject: Green Day : "21st Century Breakdown" Advanced Copy |
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Well, it's that time again. This time around, it's a review of one of the most anticipated (well, not to me...) records of 2009, Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown". After coming back with a bang to the billboard charts and mainstream media with "American Idiot" a few years back, there's much anticipation with this release, both from fans and casual music lovers.
Personally? I've always been a "fringe Green Day fan". I'm not saying I HATE them, but I'd never consider them one of my favorite acts, nor have any of their previous records landed on my "best of *insert year*" list.
In any case, I personally found "American Idiot" to be a pretty pretentious, reasonably bland rock record with a few stand outs ("St. Jimmy" and bits and pieces of their "epic" songs were all pretty good). Personally, I was a bit astounded when it sold the numbers it did, but i guess it was just "the right record at the right time".
That said, Green Day have been in this position before, and blown their momentum (twice, once with the under-rated "Insomniac" and once with the overlooked-for-a-reason "Warning"). Will they finally get it right this time? Let's get to the music :
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1. "Song of the Century" : An intro that opens with a bit of fake radio static and frontman Billie Joe Armstrong singing acapella through said static. A bit odd, but, hey, it's an intro.
2. "21st Century Breakdown" : Opening up with a Who-esque Guitar/piano piece, A big Weezer-y mid tempo guitar riff gets us into the album. It certainly sounds like something that would have been on mainstream rock radio in '98 or '99. The verses are, as I mentioned, mid-tempo and inoffensive, and contain a lyrical nod to their critically acclaimed cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero". After 2 bland verses, the song shifts into a double-time marching beat that sounds a bit like an up-tempo take on their previous single "Minority", and it's not all bad. Sadly, what follows is. The last minute becomes a total rip of Kiss' "God Gave Rock'n'Roll to You", only played by less accomplished musicians. Not a good note to go out on. A nice bridge does not a great song make.
3. "Know Your Enemy" : A mid-tempo drums starts us off here. More bland mid tempo verses in this one. Green Day have always sounded by to me when playing in faster tempos, and, when playing in the mid tempo range, simply sounded a bit bland. The same is said here. The chorus vocal line is pretty catchy, but, over-all feels wasted. The bridge and guitar solo are pretty rough, once again sounding like something that would have come off a late 90's Lit album. I'm pretty sure that this song was used for "March Madness" NCAA basketball, but, honestly, I'm not sure why.
4. "!Viva La Gloria!" : Opening up with a twinkling piano and a vocal line that reminds me a bit of Kiss' "Beth" (another Kiss moment? odd...), this one is...odd. The piano is soon accompanied by a string section, and, then, at the 1 minute mark, a straight ahead 4/4 Ramones-esque guitar/drum attack kicks in. Honestly, from the 1 minute mark on, this tunes not so bad. From it's over-bloated opening, comes a nice, stripped down catchy-yet-bittersweet rock song. Easily the best tune thus far on the record.
5. "Before The Lobotomy" : "Freebird?!?!" Ok, maybe not. The opening acoustic guitar riff that opens into a bit of Firehouse-y early 90's balladry is a bit odd. Once again, another song that, just over the 1 minute mark seems to kick in. This time, however, it's a bit more big fat, power chords, that fall away into some Who-esque start-and-stop verses. The chorus has an odd time signature, a bit of stutter-stepping going on. After another mid-tempo bridge, we're treated a "plugged in" version of the intro. Overall, it's another disjointed tune, whose whole is certainly not more than the sum of its parts.
6. "Christian's Inferno" : This one opens with an aggressive drum machine and fuzzy bass attack, and opens into a big, Ramones-y chorus that simply chants the songs title over and over. Back to the fuzzy drum/bass sound for another verse. Seriously, maybe it's supposed to sound "diabolical" or "evil", but Billie Joe certainly isn't helping that vibe with an under-played delivery. I could see this song, if spat out with a bit of piss, vinegar, and venom, being a decent tune. Sadly, as it stands, even the simple-yet-effect guitar solo section can't help it. Certainly not the worst song on the record, but, to me, comes off as a lot of wasted potential.
7. "Last Night On Earth" : Man, where to start...Well, from the start, it simply sounds like a half-assed Beatles tune. It's a slow, plodding, piano driven ballad that sounds like it came off of an Oasis record (hey, it worked with "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" on the last record, so why not try it again?). The song feels like it drags on ENDLESSLY for it's 4 minute length. Honestly the worst from this record so far and one of the worst Green Day songs I've ever listened to.
8. "East Jesus Nowhere" : More radio static, this time with a "listener" surfing through the stations, and a televangelist cutting through. From there, a clean "wackachicka" guitar comes in, followed by it's over-drawn counter part. It sounds a bit like Marilyn Manson's "Fight Song" with it's chanted "Hey!"s in the pre-chorus to be honest. It also sounds a bit like the bridge of "Holiday" from "American Idiot". In any case, after the anthemic chorus, it shifts back into a more low key verse and, predictably, back to the big chorus. A bit of filler guitar and Billie Joe whispering in he break of a big guitar fed bridge leads to another wandering solo. From there, the tune breaks into what can only be described as Dick Dale's "Miserlou" over a military marching beat, and into the outro. Once again, this tune had PARTS that I really enjoyed, but, as a whole, just felt a bit disconnected and didn't really do it for me.
9. "Peacemaker" : More radio static, which gives way this time to an oddly flamenco sounding guitar bit. Seriously, Green Day doing a Hispanic sounding flamenco tune? Really?!?! While the tune would easily fit into a "Desperado" sequel, it really sounds a bit odd and out-of-place here. For the 3.5 minutes of the tune, i just kept waiting for some drastic gear shift, like the rest of the songs on the album. That said, one never came. Honestly, it's not "terrible", but it's certainly an odd choice for a Green Day song.
10. "Last Of The American Girls" : More fuzzy bass and drum machine sounding percussion start this one off. From there we get bland verses and more Weezer-y guitar work in the pre-chorus and chorus. From there we get another bland verse and a simple solo and back again. For me, this song felt like it lasted 6 hours. It's not "good", it's not "bad", it just "exists", and has roughly the same flavor as a piece of cardboard.
11. "Murder City" : Shifting back into that bittersweet Ramones-y gear that made the band famous, this song isn't s bad. Sure, it sounds like a bit of filler, but with it's straight ahead 4/4 time and sing-along chorus, it's a welcome return to what most people (including myself) expect from Green Day. The solo section could have been dropped, IMO, but that's a pretty minor gripe.
12. "?Viva La Gloria?" : Well, the last "Gloria" track started slow and ended up being pretty good, so that gives me hope. Another slow opening leads to what can best be described as a piano-led "pirate shanty". Odd, but when the rest of the band kicks in, the tune sounds a bit like "Blood Sex and Booze" from their "Warning" record. Honestly, there's a fair bit of experimentation going on on this entire record. Most of the time, the band seems to miss the mark. that said, here, this song really works for me. It's big, it;'s catchy, and it's fun. Honestly, my favorite tune of the record thus far.
13. "Restless Heart Syndrome" : More sympathetic piano opens this one. It's another ballad a la "Last Night on earth", though admittedly, with a little more bite. That said, that extra "bite" doesn't exactly equate to a better song. Billie Joe also shows a bit more vocal range in this one that he has in the past, singing a fair bit of the tune in the higher register. Over-all, it's just another "Bad Green Day Ballad" for me. A heavy bridge with a wah-ed out guitar solo feel very out-of-place, and the switch to a sparse, heavier sound for the last verse and run of the chorus sound a bit forced to me. The outro's not bad though, with it's nice rapid-fire drum fills and harmonized guitars.
14. "Horseshoes And Handgrenades" : Military marching gives way to a generic guitar riff that sounds a bit like The Offspring's "Original Gangster" or a more amped up version of Bad Religion's "The Empire Strikes First". It certainly has a bit of swagger, and I'm sure will be used in movies for Football montages and in strip clubs for years to come. All kidding aside, it's not a bad tune. It's just a simple, attitude filled mid-tempo rocker that see Billie Joe Armstrong working the word "fuck" into the verses as many time as he can. It's a simple tune, but it's reasonably catchy and far from the worst thing on this record.
15. "The Static Age" : A Misfits cover? Nah, probably not. Honestly, when this one gets going, it's pure pop punk. Sadly, it's only in the choruses. Inversely, the verses have an odd time signature and leave a bit to be desired. The bridge isn't too bad, as it builds off of the chord structure and tempo of the choruses. It's not an amazing tune by any stretch. Still, the big choruses are great and make this one worth checking out.
16. "21 Guns" : A Far From Finished cover? Nope, not this time. The intro, with its volume pedal led guitars, gives way to a mid tempo acoustic verses, which leads to yet another big Weezer-y chorus (a reference made even more apparent due to Billie Joe's choice of singing in the higher register). Seriously, every time this record takes a step forward, we take 3 steps back with another of the pretentious, overly-self-important feeling generic ballads. Seriously not a sound I'm digging on, and it's a sound that's really prevailing on this record.
17. "American Eulogy" : Hey, it's the intro! Anywho, the "Song of the Century" vocal line re-appears here. After it ends, we abruptly shift into a pop punk song that's a bit similar to their single "Nice Guys Finish Last" during the verses, with a harsh chorus. Remember that "1 step forward" I mentioned earlier? Well, this isn't quite a whole step, but it is a baby step. I can't give it a whole step because, the fun tune loses a fair bit of momentum during its out-of-place mellow bridge. The Clash-esque section in the 2nd half is great, and, really, if they simply based an entirely song around THAT riff/vocal line, it'd be great. Like i said, with the exception of a slight mid-step early in the bridge, this is a fun tune.
18. "See The Light" : Our closer starts off with more Who-esque big strummed acoustic chords over a low, twinkly guitar line. From there, it breaks into a bit of mid 70's sounding hard rock for the chorus, and back again to the verse. An uninspired guitar solo section is next, followed by another verse. Ad the chorus 2 more times and you have the song. Not exactly the epic closer that I assumed we have with a record of this scope, but not a terrible tune. Just a bit bland is all.
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Well, that's it. This is a hard record to take in in 1 sitting. It really is all over the place, and I don't consider that a good thing. While I've never, as I said, been the biggest fan of Green Day, i could always admit that they biggest attribute was the fact that they knew how to write short, simple power pop/pop punk tunes with bittersweet heartfelt lyrics. While the lyrical element is certainly still prevalent on this record, it seems as though they forgotten the first part.
While "American Idiot" had 2 songs that were obviously just thrown together left-over bits and pieces, this record is full of "Let's just thrown this funky bit in right....THERE!" moments. The songs that pick a music idea and go for it are generally the more successful in this collection. It seems to me like Green Day WANT to be able to write epic tunes with an over-all story arch to the record a la The Who or Pink Floyd, but simply don't have the musicianship to do so.
I think that Green day were slowly losing their "base" of fans through the later 90's, and, with "American Idiot", gathered a new pile of young hopefuls to preach to. This record certainly isn't going to bring any of the old, lost fan base back, but it could potentially keep the crew of fans from the last record.
Over-all, this isn't a record that will get many spins in my CD player. I may listen to a tune or 2 here or there, or break it out a few months from now just to give it a quick spin, but, honestly, I see this leaving my living room 5 disc changer by Saturday (Sunday, tops).
Will this be a huge record? Maybe. On one hand, it's going off of the momentum of the success of "American Idiot", and it has enough catchy bits to spawn a couple solid singles. On the other hand, with Obama in office and the teen market fresh with a "new hope" (their words, not mine), this angst-filled record may fall on deaf ears. "American Idiot" was really the right record at the right time with the right record buying populous. This record could do it again or it could simply just be a bit too late. We'll see in a few weeks.
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dan_T_jones
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| Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 4:27 am Post subject: |
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There is nothing more embarrassing then a pop-punk band that tries to go artistic and epic. You aren't Pink Floyd, you aren't Led Zeppelin, don't try. And is there anything lamer then starting a song with radio static "ooh we need to sound really edgy and eerie, I know, radio static!".
Awesome review though Freddie. |
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AWilliams
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| Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 7:53 pm Post subject: |
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WOW Freddie....you're REALLY into music eh? I've never seen someone dissect every line.  |
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EvilJay
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| Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 8:02 pm Post subject: |
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| AWilliams wrote: | | WOW Freddie....you're REALLY into music eh? I've never seen someone dissect every line. |
Freddie does some serious reviews...
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| lloydy wrote: | | im going to have a scroll with her handprints, name,dob,a quote underneath held up by 2 angels ,then just making it look beutifull, as if it would be a scroll that jesus had sent, duff's flying round it and stuff, |
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Freddie
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| Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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Actually, I've kinda "fell out" of music a bit over the last 3 or 4 years. From 15-21 or so, i was a hardcore music geek. I was buying a ridiculous amount of albums a week, playing in a handful of bands, catching a few shows a week, always reading music rags and online reviews, the whole 9.
As it is, I probably buy 1 CD every 6 months or so (I have a few local DJ friends that pass freebies onto me regualrly, though), I haven't seen a show ina bout a year, haven't even thought about putting another band together in years, and haven't read a music rag in over 2 years.
That said, when I write the reviews that I put on here, I literally pop the CD in my living room CD player and sit at my computer and just type out the first things that come to my mind. It's really just a "train of thought", which is why my reviews tend to ramble a bit and are generally the opposite of "concise", lol.
My approach to reviews is usually to be "as objective as I can subjectively", if that makes any sense. As opposed to simply stating "Man, that Guitar riff sucks!!!1!1!11!1", I'll generally compare it to a similar riff first ("A guitar riff that sounds like "y" by "Xyz") and then give my opinion on what i think about it and/or how it fits into the song. I try to use that comparisson to give anyone that reads it an idea, objectively, as to how a given tune sounds. Sometimes it works, and other times, people say "Really? I don't hear that AT ALL".
Re-reading that Green day review, I find it funny that I primarily discussed and dissected the MUSIC as opposed to the lyrics. What's strange is that now, a couple days later, I can't even remember most of the lyrics. Maybe that also says something about the album....
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