Well, that sounds awful... Odd direction though, what with our newly elected President Christ and everything.
Being composed of 16 tracks, it's gonna have at least 5 amazing songs with megahit potential, but then this album will be looked down upon the same way as AI because of overexposure.
Going by every description given, it'll probably be looked down upon for having all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Gloria and Christian, Heroes and Cons, Charlatans and Saints, Horseshoes and Handgrenades. C'mon now. Green Day always do good stuff, no doubt about that, but every latest piece of information that comes out leads me to believe this is bound to be corny as all fuck.
So basically, if you liked American Idiot, you'll probably like this. And if you hated American Idiot, you'll probably hate this. Good chance I'll like it then. I've always had a thing for themed/concept albums, because they essentially eliminate the opportunity for any "filler" tracks, since all the songs are part of a bigger overall picture. You may love/hate certain songs, but you should still be able to appreciate listening to the album from start to finish because it enhances the overall experience. I think Letterbomb is far and away the best song on American Idiot, and I hate Boulevard of Broken Dreams, but I listen to them both about equally as often, because when I listen to that album, I almost always listen to the whole thing.
Not necessarily, I did like American Idiot and am fully expecting to not like this. It sounds like they're taking all the worst parts of American Idiot and are planning to do nothing but that this time. I mean, I hope it's good, I already pre-ordered assuming it would be the good parts of American Idiot expanded upon (before I heard the leaked demo, which disappointed me), but every indication makes me doubt it.
But in terms of the sound, it sounds pretty much the same, so you're basing your dislike on the lyrics/theme alone. It's definitely a valid reason to dislike it, but still just a small part of the final product.
The theme seems a bit forced to me, but I won't judge until I listen to the music. And the subsequent mash-up someone will do to it. Because I'll be honest, I liked American Edit more than American Idiot.
The 21st Century Breakdown demo, while I understand is just a demo and might be much, much better when the final product rolls around, didn't exactly fill me with a lot hope. When American Idiot (the single) dropped, I listened to it several times a day for a month or so. When I got ahold of 21CB, it bored me the very same day. It's just an incredibly boring track, and combined with a boring song, these lame descriptions and how siked they seem to be about the entire thing just makes me think I should prepare for a disappointment. Which is saying something, since I actually was very excited for this to be an expanded American Idiot. It just looks more and more like it'll be all the parts of American idiot I didn't enjoy.
Track Listing has been released below. The album is due out May 15th. Track Listing 01) 21st Century Breakdown 02) Know Your Enemy 03) ¡Viva La Gloria! 04) Before the Lobotomy 05) Christian's Inferno 06) Last Night on Earth 07) East Jesus Nowhere 08) Peacemaker 09) Last of the American Girls 10) Murder City 11) ¿Viva La Gloria? 12) Restless Heart Syndrome 13) Horseshoes and Handgrenades 14) Drama Queen 15) Static Age 16) 21 Guns 17) American Eulogy 18) See the Light Edited first post to include this info.
Wow, 18 tracks. Increases the chance of more of em beign good, I guess. Song titles are awesome imo. I'm sure you guys have heard of the American Idiot musical. Odd idea, but I'm definitely gonna check it out. Btw, the single Know Your Enemy comes out on the 24th, snippets should be available in a few days.
I don't think enough attention has been given to the fact that Butch Vig produced this album. I'm really anxious to see what he brings to the table with all his experience.
Green day.com has posted a 30 second clip of "know your enemy" http://www.greenday.com/splash_black.php?accesscheck=/login_check.php on monday they are releasing a 90 second clip I'm personally super excited! I'm lovin the song allready
Quite a few punk albums have around that many songs. Rites Of Spring's End Over End comes to mind (seventeen tracks). Although that wasn't all that recent lol.