East Bay, Cali-based Punk band Green Day has roots dating back thirty years ago when fourteen year old Vocalist/Guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and Bassist Mike Dirnt began under the name Sweet Children. Attaining early experience, getting their chops performing live, by 1988 they adopted the name Green Day, and have not looked back since. Going on to massive success with their 1994 album, Dookie, Green Day became the heroes of a new generation of Punk. Seeming as if they had reached their peak, with one Platinum-selling record after another, ten years later, 2004’s American Idiot capitulated Green Day into an entirely different stratosphere. An album that garnered them Album of the Year award, it was the first Green Day release to hit #1, thus opening them up to an entirely new crop of followers.
All together, Green Day sold an estimated total of 75 million records worldwide, and return on October 7, 2016 with their first album in four years, Revolution Radio. Their twelfth overall studio record, Revolution Radio took nearly seven months to record, and since its release has been red-hot in charts. Is it because it has been four long years since Green Day’s last album, or is Revolution Radio living up to the hype?
Simply put, Revolution Radio is a harder-hitting, 12-track, thought-provoking social commentary on violence that plagues the U.S. Never one to shy away from such topics, it begins with “Somewhere Now,” a deceptively slow starter as Armstrong’s vocals begin as he sings about the warped idea that patriotism and violence go hand in hand. Next, debut single, “Bang Bang,” is a straight Punk dishing of heavy drums from Tré Cool and tight riffs from Armstrong as they sing of the glorification of war that spills to civilized streets through mass killing like Columbine.
Moving onto title-track, “Revolution Radio” is a hard-hitting slammer that sings about the media hyping violent goings-on under the guise of reporting the news. Then, “Say Goodbye” is a mid tempo piece with a cadence similar to “Holiday,” from their American Idiot album, but slower and more ominous while the band sings about the kids that say goodbye to family, and do not come home. The power ballad “Outlaws” is a riff-driven piece that reminisces about youthful transgressions that is justified by being kids, but finds the past comes back to haunt. With “Bouncing Off the Wall,” Green Day seems to channel the Ramones in musical form while singing about the media giving violence a pedestal and the bored, impressionable youngsters with a penchant for violence an itchy trigger-finger.
In contrast, “Still Breathing” has a Pop-like vibe, feeling drastically in a faux power ballad. Here they sing about what seems like justifying violent tendencies, because of the past, and Armstrong gets into the mind of a stalker. There has always been that old adage that opposites attract. So it is in the happy beat and lyrics of “Youngblood,” a Beatles-like swayer that tells of how the bad more often influence the good. Thereafter, “Too Dumb to Die” begins with an airy intro akin to some ’70s ballads. This is prior to breaking out in a light Punk Pop, party-like vibe against lyrics that run counter with a message that people, who join a “cause” without knowing why, in the end, just look like idiots. Facing the future head-on, the Metal melody that brings in “Troubled Times” addresses the rampant violence that plagues all walks of life.
The second to final song on record, “Forever Now” is a three-part rocker consisting of “I’m Freaking Out,” “A Better Way to Die,” and “Somewhere (Reprise).” The song follows the story of someone, who goes from being that dumb trigger-happy kid to following through with that lifestyle, and finally lamenting, wasting said life. This is before Revolution Radio concludes with the Folk inspired “Ordinary World,” which features an acoustic guitar and Armstrong’s voice wanting to leave something good behind in a world that seems to shun good.
As long-time fans know, Green Day has covered a plethora of topics on their previous albums. Continuing that trend, Revolution Radio is no different, covering the full gamut of violence from war to media glorification to the idiot, who has too much time on their hands, and causes violence for the sake of disrupting peace. That being said, the album is harder with some detours of lighter fare juxtaposed to dark lyrics. A job well done, CrypticRock gives Revolution Radio 5 out of 5 stars.
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