I couldn't say enough nice things about American Idiot, Green Day's jaw-dropping 2004 album that proved that the trio from Oakland, California had the ability to evolve from their punk roots into a powerhouse band leading mainstream rock into the 21st century.
Well apparently Billie Joe and company are not impressed with the 21st century they landed in, because 21st Century Breakdown details an America falling apart by its own accord - and subsequently begs for us to turn it around - and does so with 3 acts of 18 tracks that never let up the rock-opera power-chords borne from American Idiot.
Indeed, 21st Century Breakdown is the direct sequel to American Idiot, and this is apparent both lyrically and musically. Green Day may have brought punk-rock into the mainstream in the mid-90's, but their biggest achievement to date is the maturing that happened with American Idiot. Rather than revisit old material and methods, Green Day chose to push themselves harder and farther, and the result is a logical extension of 2004's masterpiece.
In fact, 21st Century Breakdown is better than American Idiot as a whole (note: this is what it looks like to improve upon perfection), but it also suffers from feeling a bit too familiar at the same time. From the get go, the titular track "21st Century Breakdown" sets up the rest of the album with the why, the how, and the history of how we set ourselves on a path towards a breakdown, and also introduces the two characters featured throughout the album. A grand intro brings us into the song and over the course of five and a half minutes the full band is on display, a similar multifaceted display of guitar, drums, bass, and vocals that was so apparent on American Idiots' "Jesus of Suburbia." I don't blame Green Day for reusing the same formula for getting things off the ground: it works wonders, sounds great, and rocks hard.
I will spare the minor details of the actual story Green Day set out to tell. The short, glossy version: two characters, Gloria and Christian, navigate an America on the brink of breakdown and learn about themselves in ways that only our media-seared, war-wary nation might today. 21st Century Breakdown contains a better-told story than American Idiot, but does so only on the whole. American Idiot excelled at the art of the single: any song on that disc was awesome on its own right, yet could all come together in a sequential listen and form a cohesive whole. 21st Century Breakdown is a bit more different: there are better songs than others scattered throughout the three acts, and the album is best listened to and studied as a whole rather than picking apart individual songs. Still, it rocks pretty hard overall. Standout tracks include "East Jesus Nowhere," "Before the Lobotomy," "Last of the American Girls," and "21 Guns" - the spiritual successor to "Wake Me Up When September Ends."
Everything about 21st Century Breakdown screams of maturity. Green Day has grown musically and done what very few bands in the history of rock have done: expanded past their origins, creating new music and methods without alienating their core sound or losing touch with their roots. Green Day has evolved for the 21st century of rock, and because of this can be called no less than one of the greatest rock bands in the world today.
If I had to levy one honest complaint against the album it would be an argument against the extreme polish given to the entire product. Every instrument is perfectly placed, every vocal finely tuned, and every piece of artwork tweaked to fit just right. While many of Green Day's earlier works never had the luxury of so much production attention, it's clear here that millions of dollars of work by producers, artists, and studios were poured into this album to make it perfect. This is certainly a big-budget album with a big budget team behind it, so while it does sound and look perfect from front to back, I do believe that Green Day is deserving of all this attention. This may not be everyone's up of tea, but your mileage may vary.
But sheesh, I'll stop bitching now...
Seventy minutes of Green Day's best is on display here. While 1994's Dookie was a monster of a debut album (15 million copies sold to date), 21st Century Breakdown is the band's standout album, the centerpiece that will ultimately define the band in the history books years down the road. While you can waste a Saturday afternoon listening to the antics of "Brain Stew" or "Longview," you could spend your entire Sunday morning, noon, and night taking in and analyzing the powerful rock chords of 21st Century Breakdown. Green Day has certainly grown up gracefully, and every minute of this album puts that on display beautifully.
Bravo.
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