4/5
‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens.’ ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Part II.’ American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. In all these, the sequel was just as mind-blowing as the original.
And that’s no small feat. Five years since Idiot spawned five singles and sold 14 million copies, Breakdown continues the rock-opera trend with an 18-track masterwork broken into three separate acts that topped global sales on opening day. Narrating a young couple’s struggle with post-Bush chaos, Green Day throws a politicized punch straight at the Man ‘mdash; taking punk rock back to total sonic fury.
Act I: Heroes and Cons tiptoes over a few simple piano keys before Billie Joe Armstrong erupts into a full-on yell. Strap yourself in. The epic title track alternates between grandiose misery and cymbal-crashing rants.
‘Before the Lobotomy’ is supercharged with a pounding riff and even-handed vocals; stir in Green Day’s classic stew of self-belittlement and apathy ‘mdash; ‘I’m not stoned, I’m just fucked up/ I got so high I can’t stand up’ ‘mdash; and ‘Lobotomy’ rises into the album’s punk peak.
With ‘East Jesus Nowhere,’ Green Day rolls out Act II: Charlatans and Saints. The single exchanges Idiot’s penchant for distortion, vicious condemnation and catchy pop choruses for ripened rage. Oddly enough, it works this time ‘mdash; Breakdown seethes with an eager rebellion that doesn’t feel as forced or commercial as previous efforts.
Act III: Horseshoes and Handgrenades ends on ‘See the Light,’ when a triumphant, major-key piano climaxes at present day: Obama’s just been elected, and the long night of rioting against the Bush administration is over. Mob violence settles into wary optimism, edging just short of petulant political whine.
It’s too bad the fire can only burn so long. Near the end of the 70-minute showstopper, rioters sink into the crowd and the last couple tracks grow repetitive, the same four chords beaten to shit in true punk tradition.
Between Idiot and Breakdown, there’s enough hard-edged anthems to satisfy both the anarchists and politicos. Hey, Armstrong: Keep putting out albums like this, and we might even forgive the guyliner.