2006-02-01
I'm sure a lot of you are wondering what this review on this great new Green Day album to get written, well unfortunately when it came out I wasn't able to review it, and actually kinda got worried that I wouldn't get the chance to give it the full credit it deserves. But now that a new album that documents the live show is released, so I guessed this will be a great opportunity for me to regress a bit, and review it.
At first I was quite skeptic about the new album, I mean, except for their known hits I was never a big fan, but on the other hand, one of today greater punkrock band are releasing a new album, you can't just not hear it.
American idiot, I a punk album with a twist, it is punk, for all it's worth, but on this one it gives a great big hug to another genre that was one of the greatest and lasted until the punk era began, and by all that, I mean Prog rock.
Green day are took me by surprise with a concept album (a very familiar term in prog rock), including two long 10 minutes suits (again, something very common and prog rock) and it's all spiced up with great lyrics that deals with a great range of emotions (anger, frustration, paranoia, disappointment, loving memories of time that has pass and much more).
This album is packed with great songs, starting off with the expectable hits such as the theme song "American idiot" that starts the album with the energy and frustration that will be handled in a wider attention throughout the album, the ballade "wake me up when September ends", which I think everyone are able to relate to, and the energy fueled "holiday".
The great two surprises are the two long suits "Jesus of suburbia" which shows a different face in almost every two minutes that passes in this 10 minuet suit (and gives a glimpse of some interesting influences such as "the who" and in moments can even remind me back vocals of some "air" songs.), and the other is "homecoming" which again, is nothing but excellent.
Lyrically wise, this album has it all, from emotional to great analogies and a perfect picture of the united stats culture after 9\11, from a certain life style to an ease paranoia. Billie Joe Armstrong shows a maturing process which he has been through, and gets a chance to shock, touch and stir everyone hearts with his much diverged lyrics.
This is not the Green day who wrote song like "basket case" and "When a come around", this guys are much more mature, and more sophisticated but with the same attitude. "American idiot", like and good concept album is a lot to take, and works on you in different levels, a great collection of songs, or a one whole masterpiece, either way you take on this one, you can't be disappointed. One of the great surprises of our times.
Roy Povarchik
