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Rating:
I listened to this Revolution Radio and I can say without a doubt it is the best work by the three Californians since American Idiot: in between, there was an overly ambitious and messy concept album (21st Century Breakdown) and a terrible flop trilogy (Uno! Dos! Tre!) that perhaps marked the lowest point in the Green Day discography.
Revolution Radio is the child of a difficult period for the band: Billie Joe's detox, the illness of Mike Dirnt's wife, and touring guitarist Jason White. All events (fortunately resolved) that, along with the desire for rebirth, have entrusted the songs with deeper and more autobiographical reflections, as happens in Still Breathing or in Too Dumb Too Die. But beyond this more intimate and personal side, Revolution Radio is, above all, a political album, where there is room for mass shootings, social denunciation, anti-establishment anger, and fear for an ever so uncertain future on the eve of the most controversial presidential elections ever.
Musically speaking, the album contains quality songs in true Green Day style. The acoustic intro with an explosive Who-style attack of Somewhere Now is the first pleasant surprise; Bang Bang and Too Dumb To Die represent the punk soul of the album; Still Breathing and Revolution Radio (the title track) the more pop side. Also noteworthy are Troubled Time and Forever Now, a well-executed suite composed of three different pieces linked together (in the style of Jesus Of Suburbia). At the end, there’s also room for the sweet acoustic ballad Ordinary World, a piece that positively surprised me and is certainly an added value to the album. The less successful tracks are Outlaws, a whiny ballad in the style of 21 Guns (which I detest), and Youngblood, for the heard-over-and-over chord progression.
In conclusion, Revolution Radio is not a masterpiece (the days of Dookie and American Idiot will never return), but it is a promising sign of life sent by Billie Joe’s band, which, after some questionable albums and silent, difficult years, proves to be more alive than ever.
Tracklist
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By carlonsky
After 30 years of career and induction into the hall of fame, they still know what they’re doing.
"Forever Now"… some parts remind of Nimrod, the chorus… gives me goosebumps.
By Taurus
In the end, the songs in Revolution Radio answer present, straddling one, two, three traditions no longer virgin and rock.
It seems the wall between me and Green Day has fallen.
By DeFusco
The grand return of the Pop Punk champions who set the radio on fire with a new and electrifying single 'Bang Bang.'
Despite some totally bland tracks, the album offers an exciting succession of fantastic pieces made possible only by the experience of the band.
