Rock in PA

CD Spotlight

Green Day: American Idiot
March 21, 2005
Ouch - 7 months since my last CD Spotlight? Sorry 'bout that. Sometimes life gets in the way of these things. Anyway, I hope there's at least a person or two out there who hasn't yet picked up Green Day's latest disc, American Idiot. Otherwise I guess I'll basically be preaching to the choir in this review!

Since its release last September, American Idiot has earned critical praise, tons of radio airplay, and an overwhelmingly positive reaction from music fans like you and me. When Green Day gained popularity in the early '90s, they were not my cup of tea. My distaste for them probably had something to do with the fact that they weren't "alternative", and I was preoccupied with all the great alternative albums of the time. Through the years I've grown to enjoy their hits, but never purchased any of their albums before American Idiot.

It seems natural to be skeptical about a "punk-opera" featuring two 9+ minute songs and characters/songs with names like "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Whatsername". But I decided to give the album a chance (not a difficult thing to do, considering the lack of good albums over the past few years), and I was absolutely blown away from the very first listen! The first song and first single, "American Idiot", is just under 3 minutes of pure air-guitar-inducing energy. "Jesus of Suburbia" is the album's first long song, and may also be the best song on the disc. It is really made up of 5 short parts (in various time signatures) cobbled together with seamless transitions, some killer guitar solos, and even a little piano! At the risk of discrediting their punk cred, songs like this one put Green Day squarely in the "rock" category (and that's fine by me!).

"Holiday" is next, followed by the second single, the sing-along "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." Just when you finish singing along, it's time to drum along to the cool grooves of "Are We the Waiting," which seamlessly morphs into the purist-punk of "St. Jimmy." "Give Me Novacaine" finds Green Day back in acoustic territory for the verses, with an explosive, plugged-in chorus (and another guitar solo!). "She's a Rebel" is next, followed by "Extraordinary Girl", another likely single. "Letterbomb" unleashes the fury, only to give way to the extremely catchy and beautiful "Wake Me Up When September Ends" (complete with concert bells and tambourine - no kidding!). "Homecoming" is the album's second 9-minute tune, and like "Jesus of Suburbia", the 9 minutes really fly! Surprises in "Homecoming" include chimes in one section, and a 50's-rock-style sound, complete with saxophone, in another! The album wraps up with the rockingly upbeat "Whatsername", and I'm usually left wanting another listen from the top!

As for the concept behind this concept album... I must admit, I expected much more Bush-bashing, and I think that theme may have been a bit exaggerated in early reviews of the album. But there is definitely a general theme to the album, perhaps best summed up on Green Day's web site by reviewer Tony Hicks as the story of "a suburban kid becoming self-aware and going through the accompanying range of emotions." Of course there is much more to it than that, and like all good concept albums, quite a bit of interpretation is left to the listener. The great thing about this album is that it should please people who like to interpret lyrics and people who just enjoy rockin' tunes. If American Idiot isn't already in your collection, I strongly suggest that you give it a try. You won't be disappointed!

Official Green Day web site: http://www.greenday.com

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