Album Review: Green Day – Revolution Radio
2 min read
Beloved American punk rock 3 piece Green Day fumble through hints of new beginnings with the attempt to stay relevant in contemporary broadcasting focus with their twelfth studio record – Radio Revolution. The album doesn’t do much for a band who seem to have stuck with their inescapable sound signature over an expansive 30-year career – with moments filtering in and out of foreseen direction that just manage to steer clear from sections both ordinary and prevised.
The band seem to have nonchalantly fallen into the category that haunt bands attempting to rekindle the flame between an older generation and younger attention. Green Day showcase this quality a little too closely with tracks like Still Breathing; a tune that could be mistaken for OneRepublic or even a slice away from the EDM sound heard from the poppier and tiresome sound methods which have recently plagued bands like Good Charlotte or Coldplay. Still, Green Day continue to push their attempt at making a reputable and clear return, succeeding in only a handful of neo-classic gems that fit into the band’s trademark play performance. Too Dumb To Die is a class example in this category. Giving a tender welcome to a drafted and faint introduction, the corking vocals of career frontman Billie Joe Armstrong sustain underneath the equalised guitar riff identities and an eventual tempo switch that breaks loose into a bold and authentic Green Day animation.
There is a noticeable amount of repeated charisma in the tracks written by the frontman, doing more harm than good for the recent rock and roll hall of fame inductees. Simple lyricism and divined course make up the majority of the album’s track variety. Somewhere Now, being the semi-acoustic, campfire anthem to uplift the spirit half way through the record’s listen. It is, however, unsuccessful in this feat, with the same being said for the next track Say Goodbye – which challenges The Living End’s “White Noise” vocal routine carousel. The most laudable work on the record is indeed the track Outlaws; navigating through a musical confidence and freshness that can be superseded for their most earlier work and heightened operating energy. It manages to sound different and unique in comparison to the band’s go-to sound recognition – displaying a leisurely momentum heard in every instrument that compliments Billie Joe’s punk pleaded easy-going vocal concordance.
And so Revolution Radio, despite its numerous shortcomings, is far from a bad album – it’s just not a great album. In comparison to their earlier work on records such as Shenanigans or even the later catalogue additions like 21st Century Breakdown, the hunger to release music seems to have fallen a little behind their need and frustration to produce an impertinent and extra innovative result.
