Green Day - Revolution Radio

By: Joseph Kathmann

JOSEPH: What a wasted opportunity.  When Green Day announced this album, they hinted at a return to their political roots. My eyes got real big at the idea of Green Day returning to a style similar to my favorite album of theirs, American Idiot. Through the first 3 songs of this album, I was having a blast. "Revolution Radio" is a great single, and makes a great "Green Day" style political statement, too. This song is by far my favorite Green Day song since the classic namesake single on 2004's American Idiot. But, after this song, the album falls off a cliff and into a Donald Trump-esque death spiral. "Say Goodbye" loses much of the intensity of the first 3 tracks and replaces the great punk vibe with standard pop beats, and it only gets worse from there.  From this point the whole album just feels like Green Day trying to find their next "Wake Me Up When September Ends" or worse, "21 Guns" single, which culminates with the TERRIBLE closer, "Ordinary World." There's also a "Jesus of Suburbia" wannabe track in "Forever Now."

If you haven't figured it out already, my biggest problem with this album is with how safe it is. Given the fact that it's supposed to be an "edgy" political statement, Green Day reveals their true colors as this album wears on: it's nothing more than yet another lazy cash-grab attempting to capitalize on the resentment many have towards a certain orange political candidate. This album will no doubt sell, and there will be several singles that will populate the radio over the next few months, but it does not forgive how incredibly lazy this album is. Try again, Billie Joe Armstrong.

Joseph's Number: 3/10