Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I really like it, 3 Jun 2009
21st Century Breakdown is not American Idiot and those expecting a clone album will be disappointed. At times the same raw energy does break through with a few aggressive riffs or an extra strain of the vocal chords, but on the whole this is a very good well-conceived concept album. Bill Joe's vocals can compliment any style and are perfectly pitched here and there are some great contrasting styles and tempos. Excellent timing for the long hot summer!!
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the wait, 14 May 2009
Was really worried about this album...
Green Day took a big risk with American Idiot and ended up pulling off something brilliant. My concern with 21st Century Breakdown was that it would just be trying to repeat the same thing, and not live up to that standard. But although it definately follows in the same vein it stands up on it's own, and if anything is one step better than it's predecessor.
The songs range from melodic epics (Last Night On Eath) to 2 minute rage filled snarls (Christian's Inferno). There's even a bit of gypsy punk (Peacmaker) thrown in for good measure. But whats great is that all the songs are strong. This is not an album written around 3 singles...in fact, apart from "21 Guns" (which is so radio friendly they'd be mad not to release it) I would struggle to pick out the singles. And despite the difference in styles, somehow it all fits together as a piece of music.
The concept this time round is a little looser, with less of a narrative story than American Idiot. It's more a collection of songs about different emotions the two characters, Christian and Gloria feel over the course of the century so far. Whilst the two are ever present in the 3 acts, they don't feature so heavily that they start to get on your nerves (something else I was worried might happen).
As a last note I'd just like to say that "East Jesus Nowhere" is bloody brilliant.
And to those people saying they've sold out...if they were still releasing Dookie/Insomniac clones 13 years after making them you'd be moaning about that instead so just shut up.
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50 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Evolution?, 11 May 2009
First of all, please excuse the epic length of this review. I hope it will be worthwhile reading.
Green Day. The legendary trio of Tre, Mike & Billy Joe have been with me for fifteen years now and have made such an impact on my life. At the age of thirteen, I first listened to Dookie, after years of listening to what the radio told me to. Since then, I never looked back. Green Day were the gateway to so many more bands to me, and they're the reason why I've spent years and years of my life devoted to learning and mastering the guitar. I owe it all to Green Day.
On with the review:
As a die-hard fan of Green Day's first few albums (1039, Kerplunk, Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod and Shennanigans), I was a little shocked by what I heard in Warning. At first listen, I felt that Green Day's raw element had died down, along with some of their spark. That being said, the album grew on me, more and more with every listen. I now like it as much as their older music. In my eyes, Warning was the first step in their evolution; but not necessarily what the die hard fans wanted to hear. Its riffs were more `bouncy' than anything else they'd written, and Billie-Joe had toned down the gain setting on his guitar.
So... They wrote American Idiot. Sure, it went against some of their `ideals', and people claimed that they sold out. Not true. What Green Day did with American idiot was appease themselves, the die-hard fans and the new, potential fans. They wrote a masterpiece of an album that stuck to their roots, but incorporated some of their newer, more light-hearted material. A huge success.
And finally, to the present. 21st Century Breakdown. I first heard `Know Your Enemy' on the radio a couple of weeks ago. I was intrigued by what I heard, yet somewhat disappointed by it. I felt that although it's a fairly decent song, and is reminiscent of some of the older Green Day material, it lacked a little spark and variation. I was delighted to find out that it was probably one of my least favourite songs on the album!
Viva La Gloria is one of the stronger tracks on the album, and is a beautiful piece of music. Billie Joe's vocals accompany a piano for the first minute, then the song jumps to life with a 'close-to-old-school-Green-Day' outburst.
21st Century Breakdown, for me, takes both a step forward, and a step backwards. Green Day have again veered off in the direction they took with Warning. The bouncy-beats are back. Combine those bouncy beats of Warning, with the original `raw' sounding guitar, and the massively improved vocals of Billie Joe, and you have `21st Century Breakdown'. The addition of orchestral music (which is used throughout the album) is welcomed in my opinion, as it demonstrates the band's maturity today. The music is at times soothing, with the occasional outbreak of typical Green Day chaos, and the album has already managed to give me the shivers with the song `Peacemaker'. I love it. It's unique, but unmistakably Green Day.
It's a tough one to review for me. I'm going to have to give it four stars on the basis that I don't rate it as highly as some of their older material, including American Idiot. That being said, it is an astounding achievement. The story flows beautifully through the acts, and the band's passion about this album is unquestionable. I do, however, suspect that this is their last album. I simply don't see where they can go from here.
On the whole, whether you're a fan of Green Day or not; this is a great album. It's definitely a grower, and I have a feeling I'll be listening to it for years to come. I'm certain I'll look back on this review in two years time and wish I'd given it five stars.
Highly recommended album.
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