Famous American punk rock band Green Day have recently released their 12th studio album Revolution Radio which is already on course to reach the UK’s number one album this week.
By Jane Howkins
Four years ago Green Day released a trio of albums entitled Uno!, Dos!, and Tre!, which performed relatively badly compared to their work from the previous decade. The triple album was thought of by many as a bloated publicity stunt, which could have worked if the fat was trimmed and one album produced from the songs collected. Because of this, speculation has been rife over how their 12th studio album Revolution Radio would perform, with concern that it wouldn’t be any different. We are pleased to announce that this is not the case, with the record putting Green Day firmly back on the musical map.
The first single from the record Bang Bang immediately alleviated such fears when originally released, with the sound of the song harking back to the band’s golden days – featuring a speedy punk riff and political lyrics. Whereas Green Day’s last four albums (including 21st Century Breakdown, as well as Uno!, Dos! And Tre!) were a little bland and slow in terms of pace, Revolution Radio changes this, with faster tempos featuring on a lot of the songs and a much more refreshed sound belonging to the group. Some of these tracks are similar to their most recent musical period, however here it’s done a lot better, and those songs (and the album in general) are a lot less bloated. For example, Outlaws very much sounds like it could have been on 21st Century Breakdown with it’s slow, melodramatic pacing, however it feels a lot more welcome here considering that that style is more of a one off – instead of a whole album full of slow paced, meandering songs.
The politics are back as well, with is always good for a band within the punk genre. The aforementioned Bang Bang is very obviously about the current issue of gun crime in the United States at the moment, and Say Goodbye (a particular favourite) has a very blatant message about police brutality. It might be controversial but then so was American Idiot, and look how well that boded for Billie Joe and co last time around.
That’s not to say that Revolution Radio is perfect, as there are a few flaws here. Whilst the style of the album as a whole does seem to resonate more with the middle part of Green Day’s career (e.g. the period from Dookie to American Idiot), there are some hints of their most recent era, with songs like the previously mentioned Outlaws coming across as a bit cheesy. Also, whilst this album is definitely a return to form it still seems as if the band are still a little unsure about their place in the world of music, with that resonating ever so slightly throughout these songs. However, it’s still a return to form, and it can only get better from here!