Green Day stream of consciousness at the 21st Century Breakdown.

Green Day obviously needs no introduction but the thing that struck me instantaneously about this album was the immediacy, the intensity and the energy. Whether one argues successfully that this is no longer pure punk but rather a diluted and refined remix of all that’s worth keeping of punk and ditching the baggage, it works and retains the edge.
In the order of tracks and the breakdown between different sets the album has a certain concept feel, almost a punk opera idea without the rock pretensions.
‘Know your enemy’, track number three was the first single and all too predictable for that. There are better single options in ‘Viva la Gloria’ and ‘Before the lobotomy’. That’s all personal opinion and the Green Day brain’s trust must know what they are doing with marketing and spinning the band into the nether regions of mega stardom.
Some of the lyrics betray a band that are American through and through and despite this patriotic vision being a little off-key on a punk styled album these guys stood up to George W. Bush in his own backyard in Texas so they have the street cred and dare I whisper it, the pedigree.
Whatever my opinion is this album is set for the heart of the sun and personal memorable moments include the throwaway one liner lyrics like “I never made it as a working class hero” and the bass attitude on ‘Last of the American girls.
The bleeding edge riffs, the manic drums, plaintive almost 70’s style vocals and the split second timing and tempo changes betray a band so together they can turn on the gas at will and then level out again only to amp it up on a cue. There is of course the little matter of stadium rock anthems that sticks in my throat like a fishbone, but that’s a personal matter.
I bought the CD before I had seen any hype and I have kept it that way by not really chatting arbitrarily about the album with musical, feedback clones and running for the door if it comes on the radio, in the pub or uninvited on a vehicle sound system.
I am thoroughly enjoying it but want to keep it that way and the surest way to kill the beat is to be forced to listen to something ad infinitum when you never chose to.
These guys have a serious passion that reminds me of a great book, ‘Passion is a fashion’, written about the legend that was and still is The Clash.

See book review here