“Revolution Radio,” released on Oct. 7, is the 12th studio album recorded by Green Day. The record is Green Day’s first in four years and is set to be their first No. 1 album on Billboard 200 in seven years.
“Revolution Radio” also marks Green Day’s first release since lead-man Billie Joe Armstrong’s drunken meltdown at the 2012 iHeartRadio Festival. After a belligerent assault on the venue for allegedly cutting their set short, the punk rock icon smashed his guitar into oblivion and walked off the stage. The next day, Armstrong was sent off to rehab, subsequently cancelling their tour in support of their underwhelming trilogy of albums, “Uno!,” “Dos!” and “Tre!”
For the most part, “Revolution Radio” is a triumphant return for Green Day. The album contains 12 fiery rock tracks clocking in at just over 44 minutes and contains some of the more impressive songs in Green Day’s discography.
Musically, this may be one of the most enjoyable Green Day albums to listen to since their 1990s material. From beginning to end, each song is filled with interesting guitar riffs, relentless drumming and catchy choruses.
“Bouncing Off The Wall,” offers loud grungy guitars and the badass drumming of old Green Day with a pop chorus (a technique the band has seemed to master as they’ve grown), while the title track’s guitar solo could easily be mistaken for something off of “American Idiot.”
“Revolution Radio” is also the first album the band has self-produced in 15 years, a decision that absolutely paid off. While Green Day found overwhelming success in the 2000s, their sound grew to be fine-tuned and polished with “American Idiot” and “21st Century Breakdown,” which ultimately lead the punk rock band down a path of standard, controlled and uninspired rock and roll music.
Listening to the zealous drums and dirty-grungy guitars amplified to the extreme on “Revolution Radio” is nothing but entertaining and the result in what seems to be the most fun Green Day had making an album in years.
However, the record does fall short in regards to the lyrical composition of the politically inspired songs. What made “American Idiot” and “21st Century Breakdown” so great were the specific commentaries Armstrong had. With the exception of the chilling “Bang Bang,” “Revolution Radio” offers very general rallying cries against issues that really aren’t made clear while listening to the album, which is quite a letdown considering how strong of a songwriter Armstrong can be.
“Outlaws,” a song about Armstong and bassist Mike Dirnt’s younger days, results in a beautiful mid-tempo ballad that perfectly captures the passionate emotions nostalgia makes us all feel.
“Too Dumb to Die” has Armstrong reminiscing again about his high school days and the dream of becoming a rock star. The track contains arguably one of Armstrong’s best verses: “My daddy always was on strike/Going off with the teamsters/He said everything will be all right/Not every Sunday can be Easter.”
The personal songs off the album thrive. However, the best track off the album, “Forever Now,” successfully captures the state of the world that we currently live in. The song is just under seven minutes and represents what has made post-2000s Green Day so great. “Forever Now” is ambitiously divided into three parts, and the first part has Armstrong singing, “Standing at the edge of the world/It’s giving me the chills/Looking down the edge of the world/Lost in a tangle/It’s freaking me out/Burning lights and blackouts/From the edge of the world.”
We are used to Armstrong and Green Day having the answers to all the questions of what is wrong with the world, but this song has the 44-year-old rocker so vulnerably admitting that he doesn’t know what is next and that it’s terrifying. In a world with people getting hit by cars because of Pokémon Go, seemingly new updates for apps every other day and an unpredictable election year, a lot of people are wondering what the hell is going on, and “Forever Now” embodies this uncertain future of our world perfectly.
Overall, “Revolution Radio” is a welcomed return for the punk rock icons. While the political songs do come short of expectations, the personal songs about Armstrong’s life and trails pass the test with flying colors. After 30 years of being together, Green Day is still capable of turning out a kickass rock and roll album, and seemingly having the most fun they’ve had in years during the process.