People tell me this is Green Day’s diverse, experimental record. There’s some humour there in that description but from everything I’ve read, it is relatively diverse compared to their other ’90s albums. (I myself have only ever listened to Dookie.)
Green Day is a tough band for me. I grew up with them but only as something people I knew liked. I never listened to them. As an adult who has listened to perhaps a little too much punk, hardcore and post hardcore, Green Day sounds revivalist and safe, more often than not. Add to that Billie Joe’s highly affected singing style and I’ve never liked them much. (The ubiquity of American Idiot when it came out was agonizing to me. Everyone I knew loved that record and all I could think was “Why?!?”)
But I must admit that they write catchy songs, which is much of the point with ’90s pop punk. And their lyrics are better than average for pop punk (damning with faint praise).
And there is that relative diversity here, containing influences that make them sound like a pop punk band that listens to music other than punk, sort of like a less interesting Rocket from the Crypt. I’m not sure that highly affected singing style works with their (relative) stylistic departures but I must say that I at least appreciate the effort (and it’s not like they wrote bad songs).
So, I don’t know…This is the best Green Day album I’ve heard so far, but it’s still Green Day. (And it’s too long.)
6/10
PS “Good Riddance” remains horribly overplayed and super annoying.
PPS “Scattered” was really driving me nuts as to what it sounds like so I googled it. “Sister Golden Hair.” Yes. Yes!
- “Nice Guys Finish Last” 2:49
- “Hitchin’ a Ride” 2:51
- “The Grouch” 2:12
- “Redundant” 3:17
- “Scattered” 3:02
- “All the Time” 2:10
- “Worry Rock” 2:27
- “Platypus (I Hate You)” 2:21
- “Uptight” 3:04
- “Last Ride In” (instrumental) 3:47
- “Jinx” 2:12
- “Haushinka” 3:25
- “Walking Alone” 2:45
- “Reject” 2:05
- “Take Back” 1:09
- “King for a Day” 3:13
- “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” 2:34
- “Prosthetic Head” 3:38