After the success of American Idiot, who can blame Green Day,
once the little punk band that could, for envisioning grander schemes
and wanting to create another punk opera? But 21st Century
Breakdown is no American Idiot; suffering most notably is
the relative dearth of solid musical ideas. Sure, there are great songs
here (“Know your Enemy”) and parts of songs (“Before the Lobotomy,”)
but there are many regressive ballad moments that unflatteringly reveal
the limitations of Billie Joe’s voice even when Auto-Tuned to
characterless perfection. It’s politically astute and prescient, but
it’ll make you wish the band would stick to what it knows best.
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2009.