21st Century Breakdown

July 06, 2009

21st Century Breakdown, the 2009 release from Green Day, is awesome. Though it contains more than an hour of music, that's not the album's greatest feat. Instead, it should be praised for this: most of that music rocks. There are three or four songs--out of 18 full-length selections--that I could stand to do without, but even then the album would be chock full of Southern California goodness. I recommend it.

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JANUS2 - July 06, 2009 (01:50 AM)
Are you being sarcastic? 21st Century Breakdown is a prime example of what happens when a bunch of rich 40 year olds try to sound punk. It's an overblown album that thinks it has a serious, witty message when in fact every song is stale and trite. It's like they think they can just scream a bunch of meaningless radical slogans ("have a revolution!!", "we're godless!!") and everyone will think how edgy and profound they are. Know Your Enemy is the worst offender: totally empty lyrics over the tired Green Day sound. At least Basket Case was funny. But they can't make music about being dissafected youths any more because they aren't dissaffected youths any more! I actually prefer American Idiot.

randxian - July 06, 2009 (02:30 AM)
Hm I've heard mixed things about this album. As much as I like Green Day, it seems the critics have a point here.

EmP - July 06, 2009 (05:20 AM)
21st Century Breakdown is soley responceable for my jihad on music. Just as I was starting to get back into music, here come Green Day in their "Punk's Not Dead" hoodies dry anal raping everything I once loved about commericalised noise everywhere.

It makes me so honest to god angry in its awfulnes. So bloody angry that I'm afraid I might hurt myself if I let it wind me up any further.

In closing, if you buy, endorse or enjoy this dribble then, congratulations, you're contributing to the death of creditable music that couldn't be effortlessly aped by monkeys with minimal prompting.

honestgamer - July 06, 2009 (10:41 AM)
I would actually have written a fuller critique, but I'm aware that a lot of people here despise Green Day and everything the band stands for. It wouldn't really matter what I said. You'd all consider me delusional anyway!

I've enjoyed Green Day music off and on for the last 15 years--most especially from Nimrod onward, but Dookie and Insomniac are also worthwhile--and I still do. I've been wanting to listen through American Idiot for a long time, which up until this point was supposedly their best album. A lot of critics are pointing to 21st Century Breakdown as its sequel and equal, so that just gives me one more reason to go back and finally give it a proper listen (plus I like some of the singles that I've heard from it).

It dawned on me last night as I listened to Green Day that there's nothing in their music that technically couldn't have been done years ago, and it made me wonder why no one has put together such fantastic songs until just now. It also led to me thinking about the number of bands that gain fans simply because they manage to find something that hasn't been done before.

To some people, that's what it takes for good music. Me, I prefer music that isn't painful to listen to, that I can enjoy without trying to tell myself that I'm an enlightened music fan because I "get" whatever new sound someone has somehow managed to produce. The newest Green Day album is aimed squarely at people like me and rather unapologetically avoids catering to the people who are judging music based on novelty.

One critic wrote of 21st Century Breakdown that the only ones Green Day is really trying to please are tehmselves. There's probably some truth to that, but in the process they're also making people like me very happy. I hope they keep at it.

Suskie - July 06, 2009 (12:57 PM)
I can't believe you're seriously trying to praise the new Green Day album here, of all places. Incidentally, 21st Century Breakdown is one of the worst records I've listened to this year.

Genj - July 06, 2009 (01:13 PM)
Green Day makes music that just isn't for me, but thanks for sharing your opinion with us.

Regards, Mike.

JANUS2 - July 06, 2009 (01:18 PM)
Green Day makes music for 13 year old kids. This is why Billy Joe wears eyeliner now.

EDIT: when I say "tired Green Day sound" I'm not suggesting that they need to experiment with ambient trance on their next album. Just that they need to evolve beyond the stock formula of loud fast guitars + angry singing about having a revolution + slower parts where Billy Joe laments the state of the nation. But if this is all you want from music then so be it. I'm sure Green Day will keep pumping out the American Idiot knock-offs for years to come.

EmP - July 06, 2009 (04:05 PM)
I'm not strong enough to live in such a world.

I'm going to start rooting for Skynet.

randxian - July 06, 2009 (09:55 PM)
Am I the only person that likes the Warning album?

honestgamer - July 07, 2009 (01:48 AM)
Nope. I thought that album was quite good. The rambunctious title track in particular, though it's far from the only good song.

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	JANUS2 - July 06, 2009 (01:50 AM) Are you being sarcastic? 21st Century Breakdown is a prime example of what happens when a bunch of rich 40 year olds try to sound punk. It's an overblown album that thinks it has a serious, witty message when in fact every song is stale and trite. It's like they think they can just scream a bunch of meaningless radical slogans ("have a revolution!!", "we're godless!!") and everyone will think how edgy and profound they are. Know Your Enemy is the worst offender: totally empty lyrics over the tired Green Day sound. At least Basket Case was funny. But they can't make music about being dissafected youths any more because they aren't dissaffected youths any more! I actually prefer American Idiot.
	randxian - July 06, 2009 (02:30 AM) Hm I've heard mixed things about this album. As much as I like Green Day, it seems the critics have a point here.
	EmP - July 06, 2009 (05:20 AM) 21st Century Breakdown is soley responceable for my jihad on music. Just as I was starting to get back into music, here come Green Day in their "Punk's Not Dead" hoodies dry anal raping everything I once loved about commericalised noise everywhere. It makes me so honest to god angry in its awfulnes. So bloody angry that I'm afraid I might hurt myself if I let it wind me up any further. In closing, if you buy, endorse or enjoy this dribble then, congratulations, you're contributing to the death of creditable music that couldn't be effortlessly aped by monkeys with minimal prompting.
	honestgamer - July 06, 2009 (10:41 AM) I would actually have written a fuller critique, but I'm aware that a lot of people here despise Green Day and everything the band stands for. It wouldn't really matter what I said. You'd all consider me delusional anyway! I've enjoyed Green Day music off and on for the last 15 years--most especially from Nimrod onward, but Dookie and Insomniac are also worthwhile--and I still do. I've been wanting to listen through American Idiot for a long time, which up until this point was supposedly their best album. A lot of critics are pointing to 21st Century Breakdown as its sequel and equal, so that just gives me one more reason to go back and finally give it a proper listen (plus I like some of the singles that I've heard from it). It dawned on me last night as I listened to Green Day that there's nothing in their music that technically couldn't have been done years ago, and it made me wonder why no one has put together such fantastic songs until just now. It also led to me thinking about the number of bands that gain fans simply because they manage to find something that hasn't been done before. To some people, that's what it takes for good music. Me, I prefer music that isn't painful to listen to, that I can enjoy without trying to tell myself that I'm an enlightened music fan because I "get" whatever new sound someone has somehow managed to produce. The newest Green Day album is aimed squarely at people like me and rather unapologetically avoids catering to the people who are judging music based on novelty. One critic wrote of 21st Century Breakdown that the only ones Green Day is really trying to please are tehmselves. There's probably some truth to that, but in the process they're also making people like me very happy. I hope they keep at it.
	Suskie - July 06, 2009 (12:57 PM) I can't believe you're seriously trying to praise the new Green Day album here, of all places. Incidentally, 21st Century Breakdown is one of the worst records I've listened to this year.
	Genj - July 06, 2009 (01:13 PM) Green Day makes music that just isn't for me, but thanks for sharing your opinion with us. Regards, Mike.
	JANUS2 - July 06, 2009 (01:18 PM) Green Day makes music for 13 year old kids. This is why Billy Joe wears eyeliner now. EDIT: when I say "tired Green Day sound" I'm not suggesting that they need to experiment with ambient trance on their next album. Just that they need to evolve beyond the stock formula of loud fast guitars + angry singing about having a revolution + slower parts where Billy Joe laments the state of the nation. But if this is all you want from music then so be it. I'm sure Green Day will keep pumping out the American Idiot knock-offs for years to come.
	EmP - July 06, 2009 (04:05 PM) I'm not strong enough to live in such a world. I'm going to start rooting for Skynet.
	randxian - July 06, 2009 (09:55 PM) Am I the only person that likes the Warning album?
	honestgamer - July 07, 2009 (01:48 AM) Nope. I thought that album was quite good. The rambunctious title track in particular, though it's far from the only good song.

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