Who would have ever predicted that America would be in the state that it’s in now? With police brutality on the up and up, rapists seemingly getting off scot free and a blonde haired buffoon (not you Boris) is in charge of the entire country. Rewind ten years and the American Dream was a polar opposite. Without the feeding of xenophobic behaviour the country’s turmoil was very much to do with itself. The poor remaining poor and the rich getting, well you know how the story ends. Having been one of the decade’s most important albums, skyrocketing the band and having the record made into a major broadway picture American Idiot was an iconoclast.
[tracklist]
- Somewhere Now
- Bang! Bang!
- Revolution Radio
- Say Goodbye
- Outlaws
- Bouncing Off The Wall
- Still Breathing
- Youngblood
- Too Dumb To Die
- Troubled Times
- Forever Now
- Ordinary World
[/tracklist][details]
[length]44:00[/length]
[record_label]Warner[/record_label]
[release_date]October 7th 2016[/release_date]
[/details]
With the dust having settled after its release the band were in demand of another stellar release and we got 21st Century Breakdown. Different to its predecessor the record meandered somewhat, dipping in and out but nothing the likes of their 2006 effort. Then things got pretty bad, UNO, Dos and Tres were released and what followed was the now infamous performance where Billie Joe quite simply lost it. Bring yourself back to 2016 and Green Day are broadcasting from a Revolution Radio. In an ode to the high school shootings lead single “Bang! Bang!” works like vintage Green Day. I’m talking Dookie era style energy with power chords that last for days. Giving the idea that this angst was rekindled its swiftly dashed with the slower “Outlaws“, building on perhaps their later releases. However standing ovation is reserved for the album’s title track, “Revolution Radio” a worthy addition to their already stellar catalogue.
Understanding Revolution Radio’s placement in the Green Day timeline is perhaps the most important. Billed as a return to the days of old, it simply isn’t. The genius hooks are still there of course, “Still Breathing” easily quashing anything naysayer might have to say. However it takes a little while to get aqcuainted with the record. Not bucking like an irritated crazy horse parts of the album are slow representing Green Day in 2016. Not wanting the relive their youth, you’ve got to remember that Green Day aren’t exactly spring chickens anymore. Rather than looking like a dad that’s having a midlife crisis, metaphorical Ferrari purchase is non existent. Instead are calculated, well thought out tracks that do just as they should. “Bouncing Off The Walls” retains that gusto the band embodied yet it’s just manifested in different ways. There are some misfires however “Troubled Times” could have done with being left on the cutting floor though it’s immediately redeemed by “Forever Now” where those quintessential melodies the band coined all those years ago make an appearance.
Ten years on of course Green Day are different. The world is, whether you like it or not, a very different place. Making their stand the band might not have that genius that sparked their 2006 piece de resistance but they’ve simply changed with the times as have we all, particularly with the real life American Idiot now in charge…
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]It might not be what critics are calling a roaring return to form big Green Day have changed, as have the times. With Revolution Radio the band adapt in the best way whilst remaining true to their character.[/why]
