21st Century Breakdown: an album review

BY ZEP

As always I know what you're all going to say...well, most of you anyway.

I've borne the brunt of a lot of Green Day hating in the past couple of weeks, so get it all out now.

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Now that that's over with, on to the review.

I am a fan of Green Day's work, mostly up to Nimrod. When the band did American Idiot five years ago, it was a drastic change, both for the scope of their audience and their musical direction. The small-town punks from California let loose with an assault against Bush-run America, leading to worldwide attention, awards, and sold-out arenas.

As ambitious as American Idiot was, I was never a huge fan of the change. While it was good (yes, I said good), I was left to scratch my head a little as Mike Dirnt's bass playing took a huge downturn. Gone were the days of great basslines from songs such as Longview and J.A.R., instead being replaced with a standard four notes that matched the guitar chords. Billie Joe's lyrics kept the album afloat for most songs; Jesus of Suburbia was one such song that peaked my interest. But for every well-written song, there was also several cliched pieces, such as the lead single, American Idiot, and the following single, Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

When I heard that American Idiot's follow-up was going to be a political punk-rock opera similar to its predecessor, I'll admit that my hope for the band was diminishing. I didn't want more songs about masturbation, but I still wanted more out of the band than just political pieces. However, my opinion changed when I heard the first single off of the album, Know Your Enemy. The song was infectious, and gave off a protest-song vibe that echoed The Clash in many ways.

I got my chance to listen to the entire album on its release date, and thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. Green Day realized they wouldn't be able to replicate American Idiot, so they changed the formula while remaining true to the structure that they wanted. While a lot of songs echo the sound of their previous album, they also draw on several new influences. Peacemaker's fast-paced acoustic guitars channel The Who in every way, while Last Night on Earth draws from the ethereal atmosphere of the Beatles. The band also pays tribute to their punk roots in songs like Murder City and Christian's Inferno. Even though Mike Dirnt's basslines still follow the guitar chord progressions, Billie Joe's lyrics are solid in every song, snarling and sneering at America's past while softly hoping for a better future. His voice is also the best it's ever been -- he even uses a falsetto! And Tre Cool is just that; tres cool.

While the band has managed to top American Idiot, I can only hope that they lay off of politics for the next album. While it may have worked great on Idiot's critique of the Bush years and even better for 21st Century Breakdown's post-game analysis, it may start to become a crutch if used a third time. However, without a totalitarian right-wing president to assault, you never know what lyrical inspiration is on the horizon.

Four and a half out of Five