Veterans of the aging pop-punk scene Green Day underwent massive renovations in 2004 with their radical rock opera "American Idiot." The trio pushed aside their longtime themes of youthful awe and angst and began coating on the guy liner to create sleeker more radio-friendly tunes with an overwhelming sense of political urgency. "American Idiot" went on to sell 14 million copies worldwide and rocketed the aging rockers into the realm of mega-stardom. Half a decade has passed now and Green Day has returned with a new album to capture the hearts of a generation. "21st Century Breakdown" kicks off to a promising start with its title track, in which the band embraces a prominent classic rock influence to craft their most mature song to date. Unfortunately the album quickly regresses with the single "Know Your Enemy" which can only be described as a Green Day song by the numbers. The trio repudiates every trick in their bag to create something perfectly bland for the uninspired waves of modern rock radio. The sound of "21st Century Breakdown" is driven by pulsating rhythms intertwined with softer almost folk tinged interludes and intros. While still present, pop hooks play a diminished role in the albums structure, which is a stark contrast to Green Day's previous efforts, in which simple yet memorable hooks appeared to be the groups defining sound characteristic. The album is most appealing when it transcends the imprisoning aesthetics of pop punk and spirals into more grandiose power-pop territory. Numbers such as "Peacemaker" and "Last Night on Earth" stand as some of the album's more memorable and engaging moments. For the most part "21st Century Breakdown" has its own unique sound in relation to past Green Day efforts. With the exception of its hypnotic drawn out ending, "East Jesus Nowhere" sounds like it could have slid in comfortably on "American Idiot" with little contention. But tracks like these are in the slim minority. Numbers such as "21 Guns" and the album closer "See the Light" foreshadow a compelling new sound for the band with future releases. Catalyzing this album's escalated levels of merit would have to be the groups refreshing and surprisingly improved levels of musicianship. Drummer Tre Cool's beats are warm and impassioned. Bassist Mike Dirnt infects the low end with a rigid and satisfying groove. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong steps outside of his penchant for power chords on a number of occasions to craft unique and engaging melodies. Lyrically Green Day find themselves perpetually transfixed with the Bush era, and dwell on it and its lasting imperatives frequently throughout the course of "21st Century Breakdown." Common themes of isolation, frustration, depression and romance are still voraciously present. Outside of a few shades of well-balanced middle-aged perception the band find themselves blazing no new territory in the lyrical department. Running at an uncharacteristically massive 70 minutes, "21st Century Breakdown" finds itself far too bloated for the cheap thrill based pop-punk genre and causes the album to lack the cohesive punctuality that defined "American Idiot." In all actuality, "21st Century Breakdown" is more or less the next logical step following "American Idiot." Enough outside influence has been absorbed into the groups pre-existing sound to keep things from stagnating while making no noticeable alterations to the trio's all-encompassing aura. Nobody's opinion on Green Day is going to be changed here. Admirers will find a great deal to be praised and detractors will find plenty to disparage.
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