Music Review: Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown

I would say that Green Day is a guilty pleasure, but that would be somehow slighting them on their contribution to music. I have loved Green Day since the first time I heard Basket Case, and none of the albums have tarnished that vibrant impression of a Billy Joe Armstrong looking psychotically at the camera in the MTV video for the same song.

It’s been quite a few years since then, 15 to be exact, and 5 albums later I am just as impressed. Maybe it’s the fact that summer is creeping up and my first real listen to this album was yesterday, sunroof open, windows down, jamming out at more than appropriate listening levels. Maybe it’s the nostalgia from my life in 1994. I think it’s just because Green Day is an awesome band. If you look at the other mainstream punk acts, Blink 182 for example, nobody has consistently put out the amount of quality music you will find in Green Day’s catalog.

21st Century Breakdown

Although it’s the 6th album to me, it’s actually Green Day’s 8th studio album. This time they brought in Butch Vig of Garbage fame to helm the production and the result is just awesome.

Including the intro, there are 18 tracks on this album. You will definitely feel like you got your money’s worth, there isn’t a weak song in the bunch. Just like American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown is a rock opera of sorts. The album has 3 acts: “Heroes and Cons”, “Charlatans and Saints” and “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.” The story follows a young couple name Christian and Gloria through their life in the US following the Bush presidency as they deal with the aftermath of his years in office.

Impressions

I am guessing you have already figured out I really like it. I hate when reviews dive into a track by track review rating the songs because I think that part of the fun of listening to new music is seeing where it’s going to go next. What I will say is the songs are classic Green Day without sounding recycled, the production is top notch to say the least and the album is just simply amazing.

Buy this album, by that I mean BUY this album. Don’t steal it. Do whatever you do, CD, iTunes, ZunePass, etc., give them their credit, this is a masterpiece.

Submit this post to

• No Related Post