GREEN DAY - 21st Century Breakdown
GREEN DAY - 21st Century Breakdown
Written by Alex Price   
Thursday, 18 June 2009 13:30
green day - 21st century breakdown What’s more bizarre?

...that GREEN DAY
have made eight albums?

That after four years of time off, they released ‘American Idiot’,
selling fifteen million albums worldwide...

Or the fact that another four years on,
they are sounding just as ambitious
and bold as ever, on their brand new
eighteen track rock-opera
‘21st Century Breakdown’.
Like ‘American Idiot’, ‘21st Century Breakdown’ is also a concept album, spilling the 18-tracks over three different parts. The first; ‘Heroes and Cons’, the second; ‘Charlatans and Saints’ and finally; ‘Horseshoes and Hand-grenades,’ telling the story of two young teenagers (Christian & Gloria) sold out by the Church (‘East Jesus Nowhere’), their country (’21 Guns’), and any adult that seemed to give them a glimmer of hope ("We are the desperate in the decline/Raised by the bastards of 1969").

Throughout the album, Green Day combine their flat out pop-punk angst with tracks like ‘Christians Inferno’, ‘Murder City’ and the song to sing at the top of your lungs in the shower or in your room; ‘Horseshoes and Hand-grenades’. Then the anthems that sound like the new ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, such as ‘Before the Lobotomy’, ‘American Eulogy’ and ‘See The Light’.

Obviously it’s easy to draw the comparisons between ‘Idiot’ and ‘Breakdown’. Boy/girl couple struggling, growing up in the charred and confusing political landscape of American society... But when you take a closer look at both albums, you can see they are distinctly different. One thing to note about Green Day's ever evolving sound, is the experimentation with new instruments and noisemakers. Here we hear the band using synths, E-Bows, as well as Armstrong trying his hand at some piano.

Green Day have put out yet another great album and the proof is in the pudding, when it comes down to numbers... Debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200, with ‘Breakdown’ selling 215,000 in the first three days. It’s clear that the exuberant pop-punkers that no one ever thought would grow up, have produced some of their best work to date. ‘21st Century Breakdown’ is set for the stadium, with thundering drums, ear wrenching chords and sing from the rooftop choruses. A true rock-opera demands nothing less and Green Day have delivered...110%. Catch 'Breakdown' in live action on December 19th at Vector Arena, tickets on sale July 1st.
 

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