(Reprise/Warner Music)

The chief American idiot might have left the political stage, but Green Day is still angry

Green Day sure have come a long way from their days as bratty Californian punks in the ‘90s. If their last set, 2004’s American Idiot, seemed like a radical departure into scathing socio-politics, this eighth album, co-produced with Butch Vig, ramps up their ambitions even more, and maintains the rage with it. First off, it’s big -18 tracks across 70 minutes. Secondly, it’s conceptual, divided into three themed parts. Thirdly, it again shines a light on the unhappy state of America today. Fourthly, it does it through the eyes of a fictional couple, Christian and Gloria – ironic names chosen to reflect the power and hypocrisy of church and state (whew!). Fifthly, the musical spectrum is broader than ever. There’s their trademark punk chug (Christian’s Inferno, Murder City) but there’s also a big, soppy piano ballad in Last Night On Earth (in fact, piano is Billy Joe Armstrong’s new writing tool and shaped many of the songs here), incendiary stompers like Horseshoes And Handgrenades, epic mid-paced rockers like Restless Heart Syndrome, a gypsy-like strum through Peacemaker. And that’s only skimming the surface of the risks they’ve taken here. It should be an indulgent, overblown mess but, throughout, Green Day still sound hungry and desperate to prove themselves, and that sharpened appetite helps meld all this ambition into another surprisingly strong step forward for these guys. 

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BILL HOLDSWORTH

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