I have one complaint about this album: did you have to wait until you had 18 songs to record a new album? Does this make sense when you haven't released anything for 5 years? Release half of this back in 2007 and you would have made twice the money by now. Anyway...
10. "Last Of The American Girls" - Continuing the outstanding middle section of catchy pop tunes, this one destroys the Killers at their own game. A synth from the 80s and a bubblegum pop chorus. Again, put this on the radio and it will be catchier than the swine flu (sorry, too soon?).
11. "Murder City" - Green Day by the numbers. Keep them coming.
12. "Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)" - Does this sound like a rip-off of My Chemical Romance's "Mama"? Did Green Day just rip off the band who ripped off Green Day? Not bad, but Billie is failing badly at being "creepy".
13. "Restless Heart Syndrome" - How did this one not make it onto the last Guns N' Roses album? It has everything it needs to be on there: weepy piano intro, over emotive singing with octave jumps (yikes Billie), power ballad drumming, and lyrics about drugs. Axel Rose must be proud. I am ashamed to admit that I love this song. The last minute and a half has some epic thrashing. Good finish for the second act.
14. "Horseshoes And Handgrenades" - How long has this album been going now, three hours? They get their second wind of energy by combining their early roots with guitar riffs stolen from the Hives' "Main Offender". Billie goes into screaming and cursing mode here to deliver the wake-up call this album needed after almost an hour.
15. "The Static Age" - Another straightforward pop-punk song with a great chorus harmony. He is singing about videos, radios... who cares. It's Green Day. If you want profound lyric writing, Bob Dylan and U2 have new records out.
16. "21 Guns" - Another power ballad? Do you guys ever quit? Is this the fifth one? Do we need another protest song? The Bush era is over! I think this is an American Idiot holdover. Not good, not bad. This album just might be too much of a good thing.
17. "American Eulogy" - They try to replicate the multi-song epic success they had on "Jesus Of Suburbia" here. Fortunately, they pack it into less than five minutes this time and pack in anthems galore. I have a good time yelling along with "mass hysteria!" and "I don't want to live in a modern world!'.
18. "See The Light" - The repeated piano intro from the second track (that seems like days ago) implies that they are finally wrapping this one up. They saved one of the best tracks for last. This sounds like the kind of song fans will chant as they head out into the streets to start a riot. Knowing Green Day, that was probably the intention.
Bottom line: I absolutely love this record. If you don't like it, you probably think too much. It's good dumb fun. The lyrics aren't profound and this album doesn't break any new ground: who cares? I dare you to listen to it and not have at least a song or two rattling around in your head for a few days. Get used to it - this album is going to be everywhere for the next few years.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment