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In line at the record store I
found myself thinking, why am I buying another Green Day album? I knew I’d like
the songs, but why spend money on another disc from the band that brought the world
Dookie? I expected a fast-paced barrage of nouveau punk, but after a glance at
the back of the case, I realized this wasn’t going to be an ordinary offering from this
band.
I first noticed that two of the songs are broken up into five-part
mini-sections a la Black Sabbath’s self-titled album. While reading over some of the
liner notes, having unwrapped the CD while still in line, I found words that no
self-respecting band has had the nerve to use in my lifetime: “rock opera.” I
shuddered. The last legitimate artist to put out one of these egomaniacal, and often
cheesy attempts at avant-guard music was (gulp) Meatloaf. I was really getting
concerned. Just what was I supporting?
My curiosity would not be placated
and moments later I headed to the car stereo to find out whether they could pull it off.
The title track was already a commercial success, so it was no surprise that it’s the
first song. I grew nervous as the first new track approached, “Jesus of Suburbia,” one
of two songs on the album that are a series of amalgamated shorter tracks lumped together
to form a loose storyline.
This is a work so pure and honest, so
skillfully crafted and engaging that it may be the first “must have” album since Nirvana
released Nevermind. By the time I got to “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” I decided
this is the greatest thing Green Day has ever done. They’ve accomplished something that
few artists have, producing a work so interdependent, that it would be a shame if anyone
just downloaded one or two tracks. This is the first time in nearly a decade that I have
not been disappointed with an album as a whole.
This album may seem
lackluster for Green Day fans, since it can be slow at times. Though songs like
“American Idiot,” “She’s a Rebel” and “Letterbomb” add the necessary spike to the
punch.
This disc is fantastic and delivers Green Day from the purgatory of
pop/punk, placing them alongside bands like the Beatles and the Who. It offers hope that
the state of affairs overseas may usher in a utopian creativity, much like what happened
in the sixties. Whether it’s an example of socio-political commentary or simply a very
good disc, I’m glad that I decided to buy what ended up being not just another Green Day
album.
