AWmusic

I was watching Green Day on Good Morning America and I wanted to laugh, 12 year-olds rocking to “Knowing Your Enemy”. Green Day has come a long way from When I Come Around, while continuing to collect new fans. That’s just great! I’m admitting right now, I am indifferent to Green Day – neither loving or hating them. I never followed their career closely. The only Green Day album I own is the 2004 American Idiot, and aside from this, I know of them from watching MuchMusic on/off through my teenager years. So while I’m not a hardcore fan, I believe that I can provide a non-bias perspective on their new album 21st Century Breakdown. But, as usual, take it with a grain of salt.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the video for Knowing Your Enemy video. Like I said before, definitely didn’t love the video. I get the whole ‘anarchy’ bit, but especially after looking at the audience in the Good Morning America, I feel like the purpose is lost. Musically, I find this album to be a bit more subdued than I remember their energy to be. Even Knowing Your Enemy, the first single, while it has ‘energy’, it’s not comparable to some of the older tracks I have heard. Some people are calling the title track 21st Century Breakdown ‘epic’, sorry I really don’t agree. To me, most of the album sounds very similar to American Idiot with just a hint of an evolved sound. According to the Rolling Stone article, “21st Century Breakdown veers from hard-charging garage rockers to oversize Queen-style grandeur. Chronicling the life of a young couple as they deal with the mess our 43rd president left behind, the punk opera is divided into three acts: “Heroes and Cons,” “Charlatans and Saints” and “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.”

Perhaps there are bits and pieces of the album that prove this Rolling Stone statement true. The 1st and 3rd act simply sound too ‘regular’ and ‘standard’, aka lacking full energy and enthusiasm. In this album I much preferred the Queen-style Grandeur and the Punk-Rock Opera tracks that show an evolution of their sound. For example, Last Night On Earth is a very grand slow musical piece that lingers your emotions of nostalgia. East Jesus Nowhere has a more definitive Green Day signature attached to it, an up-tempo track that makes you want to march around in your living room. The entire Act II: Charlatans and Saints is easily my favourite part of the album full of flavours and experiments. Listen for the western-sounding Peacemaker and Viva La Gloria?, the very anthem-sounding Last Of The American Girls, and the rock-orchestras with full violins in Restless Heart Syndrome. Oh yes, you have to love the cover art. It’s inspiring, non?

Their next single will be 21 Guns.

Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown

Green Day – Know Your Enemy

Green Day – 21 Guns

21st Century Breakdown Track listing

1. “Song of the Century” 0:58
Act I: Heroes and Cons
2. “21st Century Breakdown” 5:09
3. “Know Your Enemy” 3:11
4. “¡Viva la Gloria!” 3:31
5. “Before the Lobotomy” 4:37
6. “Christian’s Inferno” 3:07
7. “Last Night on Earth” 3:57
Act II: Charlatans and Saints
8. “East Jesus Nowhere” 4:35
9. “Peacemaker” 3:24
10. “Last of the American Girls” 3:51
11. “Murder City” 2:54
12. “¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)” 3:48
13. “Restless Heart Syndrome” 4:20
Act III: Horseshoes and Handgrenades
14. “Horseshoes and Handgrenades” 3:14
15. “The Static Age” 4:17
16. “21 Guns” 5:21
17. “American Eulogy” (A. “Mass Hysteria” / B. “Modern World”) 4:26
18. “See the Light” 4:36

With so much happening in my life recently, my search for interesting and exciting news has kind of taken a back seat. I apologize. With school, work (with lots of overtime) and writing for one food and two music websites, I hardly have even enough time for myself; but alas the light at the end of this tunnel is almost in my reach. OK, enough of my bitching, let’s get our news on.

Winter sucks… Cold and miserable weather gives you a desire to do nothing more than hibernate for those long months, praying to have a glimpse of warmth to defrost your fingers and toes. Fear not my little ones, spring is quickly approaching and here in Vancouver we are already getting a nice taste of it. The development of new life associated with this time of year doesn’t only apply to plants and animals, spring also spawns fantastic music.

Here’s a list of albums to look forward to and hopefully put a smile on your ice chiseled face.

March 10
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz! (originally due to be released April 14 but bumped due to a leak. You can also stream it from their myspace page starting today)

March 17
Les Claypool – Of Fungi and Foe
MSTRKRFT – Fist of God (the much anticipated sophomore release)

March 24
The Decemberists – Hazards of Love
Pet Shop Boys – Yes (for all you synthpop revivalists)
Röyksopp – Junior (there will also be a follow-up album titled ‘Senior’ due later in the year.)

March 31
Leonard Cohen – Live in London (just before he’s live at Coachella)
Peter, Bjorn & John – Living Things

April 14
Metric – Fantasies (from the teasers I’ve heard, this is going to be another classic Metric album)

May 12
Art Brut – Art Brut vs. Satan (If this title is any indication, this album will kick ass)

April 21
Jane’s Addiction – A Cabinet of Curiosities box set (I’m so waiting for this one)
Tortoise – “Title still TBA”

May 5
Conor Oberst – Outer South
Peaches – I Feel Cream (everything about this girl is raunchy and it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon, thankfully)

May 19
Iron & Wine – Around the Well (this band owns… go buy this album)

June 9
Sonic Youth – The Eternal (another album I’m really looking forward to)

Also, some time in May Green Day will be releasing their eighth studio album titled ‘21st Century Breakdown’ and it’ll be broken into three “acts”, “Heroes and Cons,” “Charlatans and Saints,” and “Horseshoes and Hand grenades”. Check greenday.com for updates.

Röyksopp – Happy Up Here

Happy Up Here from Röyksopp on Vimeo.

Metric’s “Help I’m Alive” (Official Acoustic Version)

Anyway here is the playlist before I rant anymore:
Minority by Green Day
Over Soon by Broadcast 2000 (only 37 days to campaign, and I missed a lot of the debates)
The Switch and The Spur by The Raconteurs (switching ballots is legal but how do they do it? seems odd when asking for ID’s etc).
Breaking It Up by Lykke Li (dissolutions are fun, but apparently costly)
Pioneers by Bloc Party (Look for the Bloc Part aka Bloc Quebecois to continue their stronghold)
Mr. Orange by Dengue Fever (for Jack Layton, hopefully the orange tide is as strong as ever)
Harper Road by Sun Kil Moon (for the Prime Minister)
Morning Heat Leader by Broadfield Marchers (yeah that’s all I got for Dion)
Hard Times by Run DMC (hard times are spreadin’ like the flu!)