Green Day 21st Century Breakdown Review
21st Century Breakdown
I have to say, I’m surprised by how much I like the new Green Day album. I grew up listening to “Dookie,” but over the years Green Day kind of fell off of my radar. Of course, I heard songs like “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “American Idiot,” and “Good Riddance,” but other than that I hadn’t paid much attention to them…until I decided to listen to “21st Century Breakdown.” Here’s an overview of my thoughts:
Like “American Idiot,” “21st Century Breakdown” is a concept album. Through two characters – Christian and Gloria (whose names are obviously symbolic), the album explores a kind of apocalyptic vision of the post-Bush world. Chock full of criticisms about religion, war, and the corporate world, the album illustrates the story of Christian and Gloria as they struggle to fight injustices and hypocrisies, often wondering if what they’re fighting for is even worth it.
So the whole story line makes for a lot of depth, but the reason why I liked the album was the diversity of songs. Although most of the songs weren’t immediately catchy (at least on a first listen), I liked that there seemed to be a lot of different influences on the album. Some of the songs had a kind of vintage or classic rock feel – “Last Night on Earth,” and “Restless Heart Syndrome,” for example. One song – “Peacemaker,” even seemed to have a Latin feel. Some of the catchier tunes on the album include “Know Your Enemy,” “¿Viva la Gloria?” and “21 Guns.”
Overall, I’m not sure if old school Green Day fans – i.e. fans of “Dookie,” “Nimrod,” and “Insomniac” – will love this album, but personally I enjoyed the depth and tone of it. I don’t know if it’ll be quite as commericially successful as “American Idiot,” but it has received lots of critical acclaim. Read: this review from Rolling Stone and this one from the L.A. Times.
P.S. if you’re looking for Green Day tickets, you may be able to find some here.
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