Certain things are simply made for one another, and rightfully go hand in hand, can we all agree? Like, Jack and Coke for example. If I could get endorsed by Ol’ Uncle Jasper, believe me, I would. I’d happily pickle myself in your Tennessee tastiness HMMMMMMMM (Makes Shayne Topp horny face)…*cough*, sorry I got carried away there. Moving on. Another example would be pineapple on pizza. Before you try to cancel me, get yourself a ham & pineapple and add some freshly sliced jalapenos, make yourself a spicy Hawaiian then apologise to me AND Canada, when you learn it’s the best damn pizza in the world. (Look I know Canada produced Justin Bieber and Nickelback as well but, swings and roundabouts, alright?) A fairer example, however, would be punk and politics, and this ties us into today’s band; GREEN DAY.
Now, punk rock at its core, has always been very anti-establishment in its principles, it’s message and its purpose, going back decades to its very conception. Ranging from the likes of DEAD KENNEDYS and SEX PISTOLS, and in more recent era’s artists like PUSSY RIOT, to name just a select few. There has always been a voice for the people. People don’t always listen, don’t get me wrong, that’s why the US Presidential election campaign is a joke, and the UK’s populous seems to comprise of utterly braindead sadomasochistic fuckwits, that seemingly WANT themselves and our nation to be thoroughly buggered in every taxable way possible. Rishi Sunak is not my Prime Minister.
Where do Green Day fit into this? Well in their lengthy career, they’ve established themselves as one of the biggest names in the punk/pop-punk genre, with “Dookie” firmly putting them on the map thirty years ago, before “American Idiot” completely reinvigorated them during the second Bush administration. They wonderfully blended social commentary with deeper agendas and it catapulted them to a status of one of the biggest bands of the new Millennium. So, what happened? They peaked.
Everything they’ve done since, has failed to live up to the pop-culture impact and success of “American Idiot”. Commercially, granted, their name carried them, and they’ve charted well since, but fans haven’t been overly impressed. Be it the all-filler, no killer trilogy that was “Uno”, “Dos” and “Tre”, for example, in which the band very clearly had ideas above their station yet no real direction, or the incredibly phoned in “Revolution Radio”, and we can’t forget the absolute shit-show that was “Father Of All Motherfuckers”. Green Day seemingly turned into a band without cause, or even relevancy. Can a group of fifty-something punks not even so much as cling onto, but reclaim their youthful, vitriolic drive on latest album “Saviours”? There’s only one way to find out.
We open up with “The American Dream Is Killing Me” and it would be hilarious, if a polka-dot clad Dusty Rhodes was dishing out Bionic Elbows here, but we aren’t that fortunate. Lyrically it IS a powerful song, and it's a damning indictment on what is very clearly an illusion. For what feels like forever, we’ve all been sold on the American dream. You go there to prosper; for opportunity, for wealth, for success, but, with lines like “People on the street, unemployed and obsolete”, and “My country under siege on private property”, it’s more of a capitalist nightmare, as the working and lower classes, the true people of the country are being increasingly overlooked, and abused by the very home they are meant to feel so undeniably patriotic and proud of. When Billie Joe Armstrong sings “We’re paedophiles for the American dream...” you know it’s a problem, likening such a sickening perversion to the simple want of a better-quality life. The only trouble here? Its their own sound. This song is just so happy-go-lucky, and bounces along with just this, too-ironic, juxtaposing frivolity, you forget the seriousness of the subject matter, because you’re just bopping along to a fun piece of pop-punk.
Tracks like ”Look Ma, No Brains!” touch upon a sense of arrogant ignorance that a lot of people view Americans as having, with opening line “Don’t know much about history, ‘Cause I never learned how to read”. There’s a lack of awareness and self-reflection within America it feels, and this is a decent slab of social satire. One of the main promotional singles was “One Eyed Bastard”, which resulted in Ofcom being inundated with zero complaints, as Cyclops’ don’t exist outside of Greece, so they’re safe. Controversial for all of the wrong reasons, it’s been alleged that they heavily plagiarised P!NK of all people for the main riff, and the resemblance is uncanny to be fair. The song being “So What?”, which, I’d imagine is exactly what Green Day thought when writing this. It’s also got shades of “Holiday” in tone and presentation, just slowed down, so they’re even riffing off their own material, almost sounding recycled, or lazy even.
We have a subtly punk-infused indie-pop ballad in the form of “Suzie Chapstick” which reminds of THE LIGHTNING SEEDS or WEEZER in its soft semi-acoustic strumming, while “Living In The 20’s” gives us arguably the albums edgiest track in terms of tonality. It’s got some nice crunching guitar, back to basics but delivered with more bite and attitude. This is more like it, and easily one of the albums highlights. The title track “Saviors” is ironically self-depreciating. We thought Green Day were intending to BE the saviors here, and that, that was their mission statement; to save face by saving their scene, this new generation; giving us a reason to deviate from the norm. Instead, it’s more of a defeatist attitude, basically stating that hey, we’re no spring chickens, where are the kids that are up in arms, where are the kids with dreams to make a stand? Where are the kids that want to make a difference? They are the future, THEY will be the saviors, and it’s essentially a rallying cry. Again, however, given the way the band write songs, it’s too despondent...it’s like, they’ve given up, and are just asking, even hoping, that more people make their voices count. We finish with some “Fancy Sauce” and sadly this isn’t the least bit sexual. It’s quite a sluggish track, but lyrically nods to the video for “Basket Case” in places, almost coming full circle in the bands story arc.
Ultimately, here we have a case of the right messages, purpose and sentiment driving these songs lyrically, but Green Day do what Green Day do, and their almost whimsical style of song writing negates any of the seriousness they intend with the points they are making. Yes, you are a multiplatinum, absolutely massive band in name and appreciation, but if you’re going to take jabs at society, the government, the establishment, your countries situation and way of life...you've got to sound like you mean it man. You can’t be like, let’s call out the bullshit but make you want to dance to it at the same time. The messages they try to portray are sincere, don’t get me wrong, but there’s absolutely nothing about them here musically that says, we need to be angry, we need to be pissed off and we need to do something about a lot of things. The only thing they are saving here is their own airplay value and income. Green Day might be saying some of the right things here, but it is severely lacking conviction. The American dream isn't killing you...you're just slowly killing yourselves with mediocrity. [5]
Now, punk rock at its core, has always been very anti-establishment in its principles, it’s message and its purpose, going back decades to its very conception. Ranging from the likes of DEAD KENNEDYS and SEX PISTOLS, and in more recent era’s artists like PUSSY RIOT, to name just a select few. There has always been a voice for the people. People don’t always listen, don’t get me wrong, that’s why the US Presidential election campaign is a joke, and the UK’s populous seems to comprise of utterly braindead sadomasochistic fuckwits, that seemingly WANT themselves and our nation to be thoroughly buggered in every taxable way possible. Rishi Sunak is not my Prime Minister.
Where do Green Day fit into this? Well in their lengthy career, they’ve established themselves as one of the biggest names in the punk/pop-punk genre, with “Dookie” firmly putting them on the map thirty years ago, before “American Idiot” completely reinvigorated them during the second Bush administration. They wonderfully blended social commentary with deeper agendas and it catapulted them to a status of one of the biggest bands of the new Millennium. So, what happened? They peaked.
Everything they’ve done since, has failed to live up to the pop-culture impact and success of “American Idiot”. Commercially, granted, their name carried them, and they’ve charted well since, but fans haven’t been overly impressed. Be it the all-filler, no killer trilogy that was “Uno”, “Dos” and “Tre”, for example, in which the band very clearly had ideas above their station yet no real direction, or the incredibly phoned in “Revolution Radio”, and we can’t forget the absolute shit-show that was “Father Of All Motherfuckers”. Green Day seemingly turned into a band without cause, or even relevancy. Can a group of fifty-something punks not even so much as cling onto, but reclaim their youthful, vitriolic drive on latest album “Saviours”? There’s only one way to find out.
We open up with “The American Dream Is Killing Me” and it would be hilarious, if a polka-dot clad Dusty Rhodes was dishing out Bionic Elbows here, but we aren’t that fortunate. Lyrically it IS a powerful song, and it's a damning indictment on what is very clearly an illusion. For what feels like forever, we’ve all been sold on the American dream. You go there to prosper; for opportunity, for wealth, for success, but, with lines like “People on the street, unemployed and obsolete”, and “My country under siege on private property”, it’s more of a capitalist nightmare, as the working and lower classes, the true people of the country are being increasingly overlooked, and abused by the very home they are meant to feel so undeniably patriotic and proud of. When Billie Joe Armstrong sings “We’re paedophiles for the American dream...” you know it’s a problem, likening such a sickening perversion to the simple want of a better-quality life. The only trouble here? Its their own sound. This song is just so happy-go-lucky, and bounces along with just this, too-ironic, juxtaposing frivolity, you forget the seriousness of the subject matter, because you’re just bopping along to a fun piece of pop-punk.
Tracks like ”Look Ma, No Brains!” touch upon a sense of arrogant ignorance that a lot of people view Americans as having, with opening line “Don’t know much about history, ‘Cause I never learned how to read”. There’s a lack of awareness and self-reflection within America it feels, and this is a decent slab of social satire. One of the main promotional singles was “One Eyed Bastard”, which resulted in Ofcom being inundated with zero complaints, as Cyclops’ don’t exist outside of Greece, so they’re safe. Controversial for all of the wrong reasons, it’s been alleged that they heavily plagiarised P!NK of all people for the main riff, and the resemblance is uncanny to be fair. The song being “So What?”, which, I’d imagine is exactly what Green Day thought when writing this. It’s also got shades of “Holiday” in tone and presentation, just slowed down, so they’re even riffing off their own material, almost sounding recycled, or lazy even.
We have a subtly punk-infused indie-pop ballad in the form of “Suzie Chapstick” which reminds of THE LIGHTNING SEEDS or WEEZER in its soft semi-acoustic strumming, while “Living In The 20’s” gives us arguably the albums edgiest track in terms of tonality. It’s got some nice crunching guitar, back to basics but delivered with more bite and attitude. This is more like it, and easily one of the albums highlights. The title track “Saviors” is ironically self-depreciating. We thought Green Day were intending to BE the saviors here, and that, that was their mission statement; to save face by saving their scene, this new generation; giving us a reason to deviate from the norm. Instead, it’s more of a defeatist attitude, basically stating that hey, we’re no spring chickens, where are the kids that are up in arms, where are the kids with dreams to make a stand? Where are the kids that want to make a difference? They are the future, THEY will be the saviors, and it’s essentially a rallying cry. Again, however, given the way the band write songs, it’s too despondent...it’s like, they’ve given up, and are just asking, even hoping, that more people make their voices count. We finish with some “Fancy Sauce” and sadly this isn’t the least bit sexual. It’s quite a sluggish track, but lyrically nods to the video for “Basket Case” in places, almost coming full circle in the bands story arc.
Ultimately, here we have a case of the right messages, purpose and sentiment driving these songs lyrically, but Green Day do what Green Day do, and their almost whimsical style of song writing negates any of the seriousness they intend with the points they are making. Yes, you are a multiplatinum, absolutely massive band in name and appreciation, but if you’re going to take jabs at society, the government, the establishment, your countries situation and way of life...you've got to sound like you mean it man. You can’t be like, let’s call out the bullshit but make you want to dance to it at the same time. The messages they try to portray are sincere, don’t get me wrong, but there’s absolutely nothing about them here musically that says, we need to be angry, we need to be pissed off and we need to do something about a lot of things. The only thing they are saving here is their own airplay value and income. Green Day might be saying some of the right things here, but it is severely lacking conviction. The American dream isn't killing you...you're just slowly killing yourselves with mediocrity. [5]
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