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21st Century Breakdown

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown Audio CD

A fair review of the Green Day "21st Century Breakdown" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Green Day reviews here, or go back to the Green Day tabs.

Band: Green Day
Title: 21st Century Breakdown
Rating:

Release Date: 2009-05-15
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Song of the Century 2: 21st Century Breakdown 3: Know Your Enemy 4: �Viva La Gloria! 5: Before the Lobotomy 6: Christian's Inferno 7: Last Night on Earth 8: East Jesus Nowhere 9: Peacemaker 10: Last of the American Girls 11: Murder City 12: �Viva La Gloria? [Little Girl] 13: Restless Heart Syndrome 14: Horseshoes and Handgrenades 15: The Static Age 16: 21 Guns 17: American Eulogy: A. Mass Hysteria/B. Modern World 18: See the Light

Billie Joe's 21st Century Bankroll
The kids eat it up. Remember when Green Day wrote pop punk songs like 2,000 Light Years Away and Basket Case? Now we have these mid-puberty rants of anti-american government. We do not need our American children getting anymore stupid as they latch on to this fad of being semi-political/ half-retarded. Buy Kerplunk.

A very near tie in greatness to "American Idiot"...
But, I (as well as several other million fans) have such a high expectation of this band, that its totally ridiculous to expect great all of the time. I bought this album the day it came out, because I knew it was going to be another outstanding release from an outstanding band. Yes people "American Idiot" was groundbreaking and one of the best releases of 2004, but their NOT gods people, their flesh and blood, like you and I. I don't fault them for making another rock-opera. If this is the direction they want to take in their careers, that is fine with me, I'll keep buying their albums. If they produce a more 'normal' album in a couple of years, I'll buy that too. I've liked this band since their "Kerplunk!" days, and my fondness of them and their music will probably never change. Their inspired by a little more than a lot of the 'typical' rock/punk bands out there, so yeah they've became a little more political, and in some ways, mature. Their not young anymore and to me, their writing and producing how they see the current state of America. The next time you insult them for being too much of something, stop and think about the rest of the world of music and see what their doing/writing about, and then take a look at the garbage in our musical landscape, and realize that Green Day at least stays relevant. Also, don't forget, the freedoms we enjoy in America that allowed Green Day to produce great works such as "Dookie" and "American Idiot".

If Amazon had a rating of more than five stars, I'd give Green Day at least 10 or more for this album. Keep up the great music Green Day and I hope you come to Hawaii someday, since that's where I live. I can't wait to see what their next album will bring us, I just hope they don't wait so darn long this time. .

Album of the century...
21st Century Breakdown may sound different from say, 1039 / Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, but they have matured a lot. I have to say that Green Day has always been my favorite band, and they always will be, no matter what they put out. I hope no one still expects them to sound like that, though I honestly believe that Billy, Tr�, and Mike are still the same "punks" they've always been. Even if this album does sound a little more like "radio pop", it's just they've reached an inevitable popularity, and have made a really catchy album. Anyone, a fan of punk, alternative, hard rock, soft rock, classic rock, will enjoy this album from the greatest band of the last twenty years. Here's a review of each song:

Song of the Century: Not really a song, but an interesting intro none the less

21st Century Breakdown: Amazing first song; plays hard and fast, not that unlike older Green Day

Know Your Enemy: The fist single; very punk and doesn't let up from where they left off on American Idiot

�Viva La Gloria!: Best song, and I don't care what anyone says, I like piano intros, as long as the song ends as loud as this song does; it's pretty deep and incredibly catchy

Before the Lobotomy: Beginning guitar sounds like "Civil War" by GN'R; very slow start but it fits in so well with the rest of the album

Christian's Inferno: Also incredibly hard, and catchy enough to have radio play; though definitely not radio pop like what Nickelback turned into

Last Night On Earth: The slowest song on the album, not that it's not good; does lack some emotion and isn't catchy enough to be "Good Riddance" or "Wake Me Up. . . "

East Jesus Nowhere: ". . . And we will see how godless a nation we have become"; very good; heavy as all hell, for Green Day

Peacemaker: Incredibly original song; like a cross between Green Day's punk and a Mexican with a guitar travelling through India (listen to the song, you might get the analogy)

Last of the American Girls: Catchy, but maybe a little too radio friendly for my liking

Murder City: Another hard song; true to their music, true to themselves; close to being the best song on the album

�Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl): Also very original; reminds me of "Mama" by MCR

Restless Heart Syndrome: Starts off a little too slow; could be the best song on the album if the entire song rocked as hard as the second half

Horseshoes and Handgrenades: Great just because it sounds just like their old stuff; kind of like "All The Time" off of Nimrod; wouldn't be Green Day without screaming "I'm not f*****g around!"

The Static Age: A song that would fit in very well in American Idiot; again, very catchy

21 Guns: Probably this album's "Wake Me Up. . . "; I just wish that it didn't get overplayed on popular radio (doesn't that make you want to give the middle finger to society)

American Eulogy: Mass Hysteria/Modern World: Picks up where the intro ends; quite epic sounding

See The Light: Very catchy song; not too loud or punk; and not the greatest ending to an amazing album, but it certainly packs a punch
.

Just not that good
I hate this new political garbage they are trying to shove into everyone's faces. I miss the old Green Day. There ARE a few decent songs on here like Viva La Gloria, Murder City, and actually that's about it because most are ruined by the lyrics. I don't understand why they think their fans want to listen to their views on politics. I wish they'd go back to Basketcase and Welcome to Paradise type stuff. Oh well maybe they will someday. I couldn't recommend getting this unless it's really cheap, or you are truly a die hard Green Day fan.

play it backwards!
You see in the first song, (which is actually the last song if its played backwards) the lead singer can clearly be heard saying, "eat a dolphin, eat a dolphin, eat a dolphin raw! Shave a badger shave a badger I don't care if its cold outside!" I don't think this is right since dolphins are extinct now, quite possibly due to green day's cavalier words. If any of you have the software that will allow you to play this album backwards, I don't think any of you would like it anymore. Also, if a badger is shaved in the cold weather it can freeze to death. I only advocate shaving them in the summer as most of you would agree. If you have any care for animals at all, please don't buy this record.

You can see a complete list of all Green Day discography, or go back to the Green Day tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.