CD Review:

Green Day - American Idiot

By Chris Senn
It's been four years since Green Day's "Warning" but it has been well worth the wait. Green Day's American Idiot was released on September 21 and was one of the only albums released in 2004 to add up to more than the sum of its parts.  

Starting off with the title track the album tells the story of three people. Jesus of Suburbia is a kid disillusioned with the world around him. He feels as if the world doesn't care and is leaving him behind. We are first introduced to Jesus in the epic nine-minute "Jesus of Suburbia." It is broken up into five different parts, each having its own distinct sound.

In "Holiday," Jesus is mad at the government of his country and dreams of becoming a politician to set things straight. This is where lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong was careful. While writing the lyrics he made sure not to mention George W. Bush or the Iraq war directly, even though those were his references, because he did not want to date the album. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," is another song about alienation and being alone, while "Are We the Waiting," sends the message we must rise up and do something about our situation.
     
Other songs include the straight forward punk of "St. Jimmy" and "She's A Rebel"; the piano balladry of "Wake Me up When September Ends"; and the Eastern Indian styled rhythm of "Extraordinary Girl".

Green Day has made an album that will be relevant for many years and is ten times better if you listen to it all the way through in one sitting. Not to mention it's nominated for 7 Grammys. This is Green Day at the top of their game.

For more information: www.greenday.com