Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
Rating
RIYL
The Sex PistolsMy Chemical Romance
Green Day
Release Date
05/09/2009
Label
Reprise/Warner Bros.Tracklist
1. Song Of The Century2. 21st Century Breakdown
3. Know Your Enemy
4. ¡Viva La Gloria!
5. Before The Lobotomy
6. Christian's Inferno
7. Last Night On Earth
8. East Jesus Nowhere
9. Peacemaker
10. Last Of The American Girls
11. Murder City
12. ¿Viva La Gloria?
13. Restless Heart Syndrome
14. Horseshoes And Handgrenades
15. The Static Age
16. 21 Guns
17. American Eulogy: Mass Hysteria/Modern World
18. See The Light
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One of my favorite memories is of an 11-year-old me head banging and playing air guitar to Green Day’s video for “Basket Case” on MTV. While it wasn’t my introduction to punk music, it was certainly a definitive turning point for me, drawing my interests further towards punk music and satisfying my desires for individuality and rebellion. I promptly picked up all previous Green Day records and happily identified with their anthems of teenage apathy and suburban dismay.
As Green Day grew into one of the most successful bands in modern music, I proudly watched their evolution from snotty punk band to politically-minded, rock-opera-creating superstars. While the music progressed, the band eventually reinvented their stardom with the massive crossover appeal of American Idiot. It was always obvious that in true punk rock spirit, Green Day did whatever they wanted and said whatever they wanted to say. They did it with an incredible knack for writing hook-laden rock songs. So now, 15 years after my initial love affair with Green Day began, I find myself rocking out to 21st Century Breakdown and identifying with the band’s messages. Although their priorities and concerns have changed from personal to political, their angst-ridden spirit has remained.
With 18 tracks there are bound to be a few missteps on this record. The album starts off on the slower side with the show-tunes-y intro track “Song of the Century,” complete with faux radio static, but then they kick right into the title track. It is one of the longest on the album and ends up feeling muddled and non-linear by the end of the song. Subsequent tunes show Green Day’s softer side, replete with string arrangements, piano lines, and down tempo songs. But just when you think Green Day grew up too much, they kick into “Christian’s Inferno.” Gritty, distorted, and snotty, the band is taking a page from The Sex Pistols and it’s the most menacing Green Day has ever sounded. When album highlight, “Horseshoes and Handgrendades,” starts and Billie Joe Armstrong snarls, “I’m not fucking around!” I’m instantly transported to the memory of that grade school version of me. That same rush of energy and passion I felt then still comes through, perhaps even more so given that my adult self has a much clearer understanding of the subject matter. It makes me feel elated, sad, angry, disillusioned, and hopeful all at the same time.
From ballads to fast-paced, punk rock growling, Green Day has once again crafted a wonderful record. True, some of the more radio friendly songs sound a little generic, but there’s enough meat on the album's bones to create a hearty meal of political outrage. If the band has done anything right, it’s that they write what they know and what they've learned about. They don’t sing about smoking weed and jerking off anymore. Rather they tackle tough issues like health care, class struggle, religious zealotry, war, and social ignorance. Inspirational, genuine, and universal, 21st Century Breakdown could have been released at any point within the last 100 years (and something tells me in the next 100 years as well), and it would be relevant. Once again Green Day have proven why they are one of the great bands of our generation.
--Alex Burton
Comments
Leeds, England
Fan boy review.
This was way too long and really weak.
Minnesota
Yeah, I definitely can't get into this album at all. Then again, I really didn't enjoy American Idiot either. I'll always love Dookie, though.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Lehigh Valley, PA
Pullin a Rick...
Toronto, Ontario
I can't stand this album. Then again, I could never stand this band...
"Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative."
MySpace / Facebook
San Jose, CA
This isn't as bad as everyone made it out to be.
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
West Haven, CT
This is awful. Fuck what these assholes have become.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
San Jose, CA
I meant musically. Lyrically, this is a recycled version of a recycled version of a recycled version of what every punk band has been writing since the genre's inception. Bleh.
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
Baton Rouge
I thought American Idiot was incredible, but I have been trying to find something to like about this for the last two months and haven't had any success.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Infinitely Inwards
This album is quite terrible compared to everything else that has been coming out lately. As far as pop goes, I guess it's ok; but I'm not an authority on that. Besides, I Deleted this after about 7 songs and i don't think that i will ever care for it again.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
The Mars Volta - Noqtourniqet
Aborted - Global Flatline
Spawn of Possession - Incurso
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
Somewhere in New York
these guys are believe they're on some sort of intellectual playing field that is way out of their league.
"If someone gives you a kazoo and toots around the house to MTV, they're not gonna fuck you." - David Cross
New York
Cold Showers for Stereology
http://coldshowersforstereology.blogspot.com/
I'm definitely not a fanboy. Although I've always checked out what the band has done, I haven't actually owned a Green Day record since Dookie.
That being said, I was not into this album upon first listen. It took me quite a few spins before I came to like it. I feel like the band is being legitimate and sincere here. That goes a long way with me, especially if you've been playing for 20 years.
http://www.myspace.com/paulson
http://www.twitter.com/GetFreshUSA
http://www.GetFreshUSA.com
Dude...