Album Review: Green Day - American Idiot (2004)

I meant to review this album some time ago, but never got around to it and my intention to do so was subsequently put on the back burner.  Well, now is the time, almost ten years after my last review of a Green Day album, Dookie.  It's actually not a bad album at all - when it first came out I found myself liking the hits a lot.  In fact, I thought they were so good I went out and bought the album.  And now, despite it having sat in my collection for a good 15 years now, I've finally got around to reviewing it.  The first "side" or "half" of the album is easily the best part, like Hotel California by The Eagles, except the second side, whilst been the less exciting half, isn't bad or even dull.  Most of the radio hits like "American Idiot" and "Holiday" are in the first half, with "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is situated toward the end of the album.  All the hits, including "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" I still like, and "St. Jimmy" has been popular with me for some time now.  I've started to like "Letter Bomb" quite a bit, and even the aforementioned "Wake Me Up When September Ends" has started to grow on me.  It's pretty good for a concept album, especially a 21st century concept album, and whilst my regard for it has waned a bit over the years, I'm still very glad I bought this album when I did.  A-

Album Review: Green Day - Dookie (1994)

Green Day, for me, has the accolade of being one of the very few 90's rock bands I actually like. Along with the likes of The Offspring and Rancid, they successfully reintroduced punk rock back into the mainstream. Pop music flourished and produced countless memorable hits during this era, but for me, rock was nearly dead. Comatose and on life support, would be a better way of putting it. But, to be honest I must confess I'm a closet punk rock fanatic, despite my many years of living in denial. Discovering the greatness of punk for me, is like a morbidly obese unemployed bricklayer making a futile attempt to jump for joy after seeing his penis for the first time since he was 6. And after listening to Dookie, their breakthrough album, I feel like a serial arsonist walking into a convienience store to buy a new lighter. Of course, there's the tracks that got airplay, like "When I Come Around", and "Basket Case", but forget about those, everybody likes them. To really appreciate this record, listen to the rest of the album, and you'll be glad you were stingy enough to take notice of the bargain bin outside the front of the record store. A-