Breakdown Breakdown

So today I purchased, among other things, the new Green Day album - 21st Century Breakdown. As most of my readers will know, I've long been an ardent Green Day fan, and even like their more recent stuff, so was intrigued as to the new album. I've seen excellent reviews of it, and it's been well received.

It's interesting. I've listened to it once through, and it has to be said it really needs to be listened to as an album as opposed to as a collection of songs. It's more of a complete piece, and the phrase I recall reading calling it a 'punk-rock opera' is rather accurate in terms of the construction.

For me, though, the weird part of the album was the borrowing from previous albums. The structure of American Eulogy: Mass Hysteria is borrowed from Deadbeat Holiday on the Warning album, except it suddenly veers off towards the end of the lines. This is very surreal the first time you listen to it. The song ¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl) is also very reminiscent of Misery, again from Warning. This is more stylistic as opposed to a direct copy though.

I've not listened to it enough to really get a feel for it, but on a first listen there's only one 'home run' song, that really stands out, and that's saved for last. It's an interesting album, and I think it probably warrants a second listen before I commit to a full opinion on it!