#makes perfect fucking sense for him within the societal climate to have this kind of interest in them.

[invi-on-the-battlefield]

Consider this a spiritual successor to my Re-Animator Youtubers post, but boy howdy do I love being part of niche ass fandoms that have a surface level audience of cishet guys in their 30s who’s experience with nuance in media starts and ends with knowing Raleigh wasn’t really the main character of pacrim. I’m fighting for my life in these fucking YouTube comments.

#guys really out here saying newt just like Charlie Kelly he think he smart but really he dumb #I’m begging on my hands and knees for the most infinitesimal crumb of media comprehension #please #please can we understand that just because newt gets beat up by his own technology on multiple occasions throughout pacrim does not mean he #doesn’t know what tHE FUCK HES DOING #ALSO if I have to hear one more guy say it’s ‘unrealistic’ to have a guy in this monster movie be really into the really cool and awesome #monsters I swear- #the whole fucking point was the fact that humanity got complacent and hubristic because we kept winning against the kaiju + newt already had #an intense fascination with the kaiju because he is neurodivergent and a biologist so it actually #makes perfect fucking sense for him within the societal climate to have this kind of interest in them. #like they had religions for these bitches. ofc some weird little gay guy was gonna get tattoos of them. #i can’t deal with them calling him stupid tho #these guys got what I like to call ‘iasip cisman brainrot’ #they see Charlie Day in any piece of media and think ‘oh hey the guy from sunny’ and then their brain just shuts down #chronic inability to separate him from this ONE SHOW #it’s soooo fucking annoying #like I get it he definitely has a unique energy that kind of carries over between characters but like give the guy some damn credit #the bitch can act if you’d just LET HIM #anyway it’s midnight and I’m not in my right mind #goodnight y’all #pacific rim #pacrim #newt geiszler #newton geiszler #charlie day

[poppunk-nonsense]

American Idiot by Green Day: Album Review

(Not my gif)

Warning: I do swear in this occasionally

I’ve decided to begin my pop-punk album reviews with what I believe to be one of the most coveted in the genre: American Idiot. Yes, it’s cliché and yes it’s become pretty mainstream now which technically defies one of the most important values of the genre, keeping it underground. However, for me, and from what I have observed over the past few years, I think for a lot of other music lovers as well, Green Day was the first band I ever discovered on my own that was different from what my parents listened to or what was popular on the radio at the time. They were the band that started it all for me. After listening to this album for the first time, it was like I became addicted… so I listened to it again and again and again (and again). From Billie Joe Armstrong’s brilliant lyrics coupled with the catchy melodies, distorted guitars, and exceptional rhythm section (courtesy of Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool), Green Day has, in my opinion, some of the best rock songs ever written. This band has produced remarkable albums time and time again but American Idiot is their most popular and I think for good reason. Not only do all the songs deliver from a musical standpoint, but lyrically as well. The words are so beautifully written with equal parts grit, poetry, criticism, and love. The story of this concept album is gorgeously balanced between the struggles of young love and heartbreak and the onset of political unrest and a national rebellion in America during the early 2000s. All in all, it creates a wonderful aesthetic that any emo teen could bang their head to. I have a very personal connection to this band, and more specifically, this album. Green Day kick-started my love for the pop-punk genre as well as my exploration into many other types of music. They are the reason I started my own pop-punk band in high school and consequently became interested in audio engineering, production, and music business. Basically, I have Green Day to thank for my entire future in the music industry. For each song, I have shared my opinions on the music, lyrics, and my interpretation of how the song connects to the overall concept of the album. I also included a rating out of ten for each song. 

These are my personal, subjective opinions on the album and the concepts of the story. I am in no way negatively criticizing or judging it. If anyone has any other opinions on American Idiot, please message me! I would love to discuss music with anyone interested. Also, please send me recommendations for any other albums you think I should review. Next, I think I will do an All Time Low album but I am always open to suggestions. 

Also this ended up being super long, so sorry about that, I got very excited (and a little carried away) with sharing my thoughts on this fantastic album! 

So, without further ado, here is my first album review: Green Day’s American Idiot (2004).

Track 1: American Idiot

7.5/10

Right off the bat, the title track of the album kicks it off with a bang (literally). There are so many reasons why this song is such an amazing album opener. The fast-paced, heavy rhythm and the loud, layered guitars create a groove that makes you want to get up and dance. It’s an attention grabber which is why it makes perfect sense to put it as track number one and also as the radio hit. However, I think the lyrics are the real factor as to why this song sucks you in and makes you want to listen more. It’s an anthem for rebellion; a message to the societal outsiders who want to destroy the system and create lasting change in their community. American Idiot sets the revolutionary tone that the rest of the tracks carry on throughout the album’s story.  

Track 2: Jesus of Suburbia

9.5/10

This song is easily one of my favorites on the album. The music and lyrics are written so geniously and the transitions between each section are seamless and meaningful, as if they are scene changes within the plot of a film. In this song, we are introduced to the main protagonist in the concept album whose name matches the track name, Jesus of Suburbia. The whole song explores his struggles of living in a deadbeat town and wanting to get the fuck out, which is quite literally the epitome of punk rock. Each section of the song tackles certain themes such as mental health, poverty, boredom, love and hate, and of course, the strifes of living in suburbia. Armstrong’s word choices and rhyming schemes are very poetic and transparent. They embody “sex, drugs, and rock & roll” and express a “Fuck you!” kind of attitude to the world. In terms of musicality, this was probably a very difficult and tedious song to write as it is over nine minutes long and has multiple rhythm and key changes. Some of my favorite musical moments in the track are Tre Cool’s drum solos and the transition to the acoustic guitars in the “Dearly Beloved” section which is so unexpectedly beautiful to hear in the middle of a hard and heavy rock song. The ending of the track, both lyrically and musically, ties the entire song together so perfectly to create a remarkable, operatic finale. As the song ends, we follow the protagonist, Jesus of Suburbia, onto his next journey in the story as he finally leaves his hometown (like I’m sure a lot of us wanted to do as teenagers).

Track 3: Holiday

9/10

In my opinion, this track has some of the best melodies in the whole album. It is another great anthem song that inspires rebellion and action, continuing with this tone through the album. My favorite element of the track is Mike Dirnt’s bassline which creates a great groove and carries the whole vibe of the track. This song fires you up, mainly due to the fantastic call and response elements that carry on throughout the whole track and peak during the bridge. This is a great moment in the song with the fun drum breakdown and audience participation. It sparks a revolutionary attitude within the listeners and once again serves as a way to unify people under a common cause. Unfortunately, this song is still just as relevant in today’s political climate as it was in 2003 when the song was written. A fitting line that comes to mind is “I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies”.

Track 4: Boulevard of Broken Dreams

8.5/10

As Holiday transitions into the fourth song in the album, the listener gets the sense that not only the musical tone of the album is changing but so is the plot of the story. We seamlessly go from a very inspiring and angry sound in Holiday to a desperate and lost sound in Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The Jesus of Suburbia doesn’t know who he is and consequently feels lost and alone. Boulevard of Broken Dreams is widely viewed as an “emo anthem” due to the depressing lyrics and message. But I think the musical elements of the song speak just as loudly as the lyrics do in order to convey this. The entire song itself is set to a minor key which automatically brings the mood down. This mood is emphasized even more by the slow heavy feeling that the guitars and cymbals contribute to the overall vibe. The wah guitar sound during the verses creates the feeling of disorientation for the protagonist as he transitions into a new, unknown part of his life and the harmonies in the choruses convey a helpless, agonizing feeling. To top it all off, the ending instrumental part ties all these elements together to hone in on that desperation that is supposed to be felt throughout the whole song by emphasizing the screaming, soloed guitar, and the disorienting, washy guitars in the background.

Track 5: Are We the Waiting

7/10

This is a very transitional track of the album. There isn’t anything groundbreaking going on here. It lets you take a breath and stand still for a second in the story. The Jesus of Suburbia is still lost in the unknown world of a new city but now, he has accepted his loneliness. The desperation of Boulevard of Broken Dreams has shattered and been replaced by a dreamlike veil while the protagonist searches for something, he just doesn’t know what it is. The calming drones in the song represent the stillness of the environment the character has found himself in. The song conveys a loss of hope and that even though the Jesus of Suburbia has burned the bridges of his hometown and forgotten about the burdens of his past, he still has an unguided, foggy future.

Track 6: St. Jimmy

9/10

As we transition very abruptly from Are We the Waiting to St. Jimmy, that dreamlike veil of hopelessness is lifted and the Jesus of Suburbia has finally found the thing he was searching for: a new beginning. This is one of my favorite songs on the album due to two factors. The first of course is the fast-paced, truly “punky” sound of the song. The rigorous drums and aggressive guitars are so much fun to rock out to and they also contribute to the gritty, raw personality of the character the song is based on. The second factor is exactly that, the St. Jimmy persona itself. St. Jimmy could be interpreted in one of two ways. He could either be seen as a new part of the Jesus of Suburbia’s personality or in other words the person he becomes when he starts his new life in the city. Or he could be seen as a separate entity altogether; a character the protagonist meets within the story. Either way, the effect of St. Jimmy on the Jesus of Suburbia is the same. St. Jimmy represents everything the Jesus of Suburbia wants to become in order to completely wash away his past self. The total disregard for rules and conformity that St. Jimmy symbolizes corrupts the Jesus of Suburbia and changes him.

Track 7: Give Me Novocaine

8/10

The seventh track of the album, Give Me Novocaine, bears a lot of resemblance to Are We the Waiting, in my opinion, due to the purpose of the song as well as the message behind it. The Jesus of Suburbia once again feels lost because the person he has become under St. Jimmy’s influence isn’t someone he recognizes to be himself. Maybe the novocaine depicted in the song is supposed to represent the Jesus of Suburbia coping with drug addiction as a result of the corruption caused by St. Jimmy. The same desperation that is felt in Boulevard of Broken Dreams can be felt in this track as well. However, the tone and musicality of this song isn’t something we have encountered yet within the album. During the verses, the dueling acoustic rhythm guitars hard-panned left and right create a very sweet sounding groove that isn’t unlike a cliché love song. But when the chorus hits, the cry for help from the protagonist and the juxtaposition between the lyrics and the melody are much more obvious.

Track 8: She’s a Rebel

7/10

She’s a Rebel isn’t one of my favorite songs on the album because it’s nothing that we haven’t heard so far musically. However, it does introduce an important character into the story. Whatsername is the love interest of the Jesus of Suburbia. She is described as a rebellious, independent woman who will be a vital “vigilante” in the revolution. The essence of the character is rooted in the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype that many female love interests are depicted as in literature and film. Her sole function is to help develop the character arch of the protagonist a.k.a the man who falls in love with her. Ultimately these roles end up being slightly two-dimensional as the only true reason she is included in the story is to help get the protagonist from point A to point B without actually developing her character at all. Personally, I would love to hear about Whatsername’s journey, separated from the Jesus of Suburbia’s.

Track 9: Extraordinary Girl

6.5/10

This is my least favorite song on the album. I don’t really like the melodic or musical aspects of the song. Once again I feel like it isn’t anything we haven’t heard so far and it doesn’t strike me as being new. But the song is a vital plot point in the album because it develops the ups and downs of the love story between the Jesus of Suburbia and Whatsername. It is obvious that they are both very troubled human beings and they are dependent on each other to give themselves worth. However, having this type of relationship can be exhausting and emotionally taxing on both participants, and as denoted in the lyrics “it’s not worth trying” to continue with it, even if the two are truly in love. On the surface level, the lyrics seem very cliché and this was always one of the reasons I didn’t like this track as much as some of the others on the album. But after analyzing the lyrics a little more, it’s obvious that the song is much deeper than it is first made out to be.

Track 10: Letterbomb

10/10

If I was going to pick a favorite song from the album, it would be Letterbomb. When I was younger, I never appreciated this song and the poetry within its lyrics. However, over time I have realized how brilliant this track truly is in summarizing the whole story of the Jesus of Suburbia and representing the climax of his story. The whole song is basically the protagonist’s revelation of  how much of a shit show his life has become. He thought he was miserable living in the boredom of his hometown so he left for the big city. But the universe is one big cosmic joke and in this case, the punchline is that the amazing life he built up in his head was nothing like the reality and hardships of the drugs, corruption, and heartbreak he actually experienced. This is the embodiment of “the grass is always greener on the other side” type of outlook on life. Letterbomb perfectly sums up the pitfalls of romanticization. Inevitably, there will always be some disappointment when experiencing the reality of a life you thought you wanted in your head. The Jesus of Suburbia must deal with this disappointment head-on and because of it, he decides to abandon his newfound life in the city and subsequently his relationship with Whatsername. Ultimately, this whole story is about a young man trying to cope with the current political climate of the country while also dealing with personal issues that stem from his childhood, like the treatment he received from his parents growing up and their divorce. In order to cope with these hardships, he created the heroic Jesus of Suburbia persona for himself and built this whole new life around that character. By far one of my favorite lines in this entire album is “You’re not the Jesus of Suburbia, The St. Jimmy is a figment of your father’s rage and your mother’s love, Made me the idiot America”. This is such an amazing way to tie in all the aspects of the protagonist’s story and tear down this image in his head that he created his life around. He isn’t the Jesus of Suburbia, he’s just another American Idiot who thought he could escape the confines of the life he didn’t want.

Track 11: Homecoming

8/10

I can’t think of any other song that is more perfect to conclude the album than Homecoming. The grandiose ending of the song is almost theatrical as the Jesus of Suburbia decides to return home after his long journey on his own in the big city. Musically, the entire song leading up to the ending is so much fun for the listener, especially when Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool contribute their own singing abilities towards the end. The fact that the band wrote and recorded not one but two songs that both exceeded nine minutes and included multiple sections throughout the whole track is incredible. It is an even greater feat to succeed in making these songs fun and exciting to listen to for the entire duration of both of them. The lyric “This life like dream ain’t for me” perfectly sums up and reemphasizes the points that were developed in Letterbomb. The Jesus of Suburbia is done with the harsh reality of the dream life he created in his head and just wants to go home.

Track 12: Whatsername

9/10

Even though Homecoming concludes the actual story of the protagonist, Whatsername is the true ending to the album. All in all, the American Idiot concept album is very bittersweet. The protagonist discovers a lot about who he is and in the end, after making many mistakes, returns home and gains a new appreciation for his life. However, the story is also conceived with heartbreak and sadness, the relationship between the protagonist and Whatsername being the focal point of those themes and ultimately ending with an inconclusive, melancholy break. The song itself has a very catchy melody throughout. The first half of the track is very lowkey and calming. The slight reverb of the vocals and the haunting guitar riff creates a feeling of nostalgia and a wonderstruck sensation. It is as if the Jesus of Suburbia is reflecting on his relationship with Whatsername after years and years. In fact, the reason that Whatsername doesn’t have a name at all could be because the entire album is told by the protagonist looking back on his journey from many years in the future. Either way, this concept album is a beautiful one that creates a multilayered, musical story that I think many people can relate to in one way or another.

If you got to the end (I know it was super long), thank you so much for giving this a read! I hope you enjoyed it in some way. Once again, if you agree with me on certain points or you have different opinions, message me so we can have a fun chat!

#pop punk #music blog #music #music production #emo music #green day #billie joe armstrong #mike dirnt #tre cool #american idiot #music review #album review #concept album #whatsername #jesus of suburbia #st jimmy #rating #songs #punk rock #rock music #rock and roll