Album Review: Green Day – Revolution Radio (Reprise Records)

Rather than coming out of the traps with a nice punchy punk-rock song, Green Day elect to open Revolution Radio with Somewhere Now, a slow & boring tune that will instantly make you lose hope for the rest of the album (especially if you’ve already heard the pre-released singles). They couldn’t have started any worse & it’s impossible to believe this is the same band that once had songs like ‘Basket Case’, ‘American Idiot’ & Jesus of Suburbia. It may as well be a completely different band.

Songs like Bang Bang, Revolution Radio & Forever Now are faster little numbers but so uninspired you’re more likely to find yourself drifting off to sleep then bouncing around & enjoying yourself.

Revolution Radio in particular is insultingly written to get radio plays, a painfully simple chorus that is cringe-worthy with its attempt at being ‘punk’. This is the sound of a band pretending that they still know how to write good punk-rock songs.

It’s toss-up between Outlaws & Say Goodbye for the worst song on the album. Outlaws is a ballad that is embarrassingly bad. It’s never been the bands strong suit but this makes songs like Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) & Macy’s Day Parade sound like solid gold by comparison. While Say Goodbye just wears you down with its bland beat, horrible vocal effects & ‘wooo-ooooh’ moments.

The longer the album goes on it becomes clear that it isn’t getting any better. Still Breathing might showcase Billy Joe’s best vocal work on the album but that’s the best it can do & it’s quickly undone by the horrific Youngblood. The lack of edge anywhere in this album means when the F-word is dropped in it’s almost shocking! Think of the kids, Green Day!

Anytime you think Revolution Radio can’t sink any lower, it manages to do exactly that. Troubled Times just adds to the depressing pile of boring tunes that exists on this album. There is no inspiration here, no excitement from the music & it sounds like a band going through the motions knowing that it will still sell loads.

It ends exactly as it begun with a slow, bland sounding song that focuses far too much on Billy Joe’s average vocals. Called Ordinary World, a song that sums up Green Day now. An ordinary band.

Do they even care anymore? Or are they so big that they know the casual crowd/media will eat this up because of who they are? This is a bad album which even the biggest of fans should be able to recognise.

Overall Track List:

1. Somewhere Now
2. Bang Bang
3. Revolution Radio
4. Say Goodbye
5. Outlaws
6. Bouncing Off the Walls
7. Still Breathing
8. Youngblood
9. Too Dumb to Die
10. Troubled Times
11. Forever Now
12. Ordinary World