PacManY2J's Full Review: American Idiot [PA] by Green Day
Since 1998, we've witnessed Green Day's exploration of rock beyond the pop punk they so deftly popularized in the mid-90s. Sweet love songs and sentimental acoustic ballads along with songs that were more straight-up rock than punk had many crying "sellout" while many others applauded their ingenuity. I knew that something big was in store for their next album, especially since it was four years in the making. But nothing could prepare me for the two-word description I read over the summer: rock opera.
I figured they'd be taking their punk sound further into some unique direction, but I couldn't believe that these masters of three chords and three minutes would be giving us nine-minute tracks. They took a massively ambitious route on American Idiot, and it paid off nicely. Green Day combine their usual sound with a more theatrical one to produce a punk rock that wouldn't feel out of place on stage. It sounds strange, but it works.
They waste no time in getting epic, as track two, Jesus of Suburbia, kicks of the story-telling with five separate parts strung together into one nine-minute track. Jesus of Suburbia introduces the story's main character, an angry, jaded victim of a broken home. The song's seamless transitions and cross references continue throughout the album, further giving it a feeling of wholeness.
While the middle contains many excellent hard tracks, it’s the softer ones that really stand out. Boulevard of Broken Dreams may be depressing, but musically, it's one of the album's strongest, part of that strength coming from the lyrics: "My shadow's the only one that walks beside me/ My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating." Wake Me Up When September Ends is a slow, melancholy number that manages to be catchy and even pretty in its dejectedness. Are We the Waiting is the album's most surprising track. The forceful chorus features a group of distant background singers, making this song seem like it’s from the soundtrack to a musical.
The second to last track, Homecoming, begins wrapping up the Jesus of Suburbia story with another nine-minute, five-part song. Here is where the music becomes its most theatrical, with deeper drums, chiming bells, saxophones, and all kinds of other sounds to make this feel different from your standard punk track. Throughout the album, and especially on Homecoming, Green Day demonstrates a knowledge of theater music, and they successfully mold it to fit their punk rock sound.
But despite the changes, they don't forfeit much of their familiar style. The title track is classic Green Day: fast, catchy, and p*ssed off. They criticize the American media and even take a jab at the president: "I'm not part of a redneck agenda." Plenty of other songs would feel right at home on any other Green Day album. She's a Rebel employs their usual bouncy punk style while St. Jimmy introduces another main character with speedy, snotty punk. Whatsername wraps up the album with references to earlier tracks, but it would still work on any album. Here Billie Joe tells a sad but not humorless tale of a girl he can remember despite not recalling her name: "Seems that she disappeared without a trace/ Did she marry old What's His Face?"
On American Idiot, Green Day retains enough of their familiar style that they shouldn't lose any fans with this one. If anything, they could expand their fanbase with people who develop newfound respect for the band. Green Day have proven themselves to be much more talented, diverse, and thoughtful than many people give them credit for. With American Idiot, this ever-changing band has once again taken a huge risk and make it pay off. Now that we've been giving a punk rock opera, I have to wonder what Green Day will surprise us with next.
The first original album since 2000 from modern rock superheroes Green Day. American Idiot is one of the most anticipated and controversial albums of ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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