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Green Day – Father Of All…

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Feb 17, 2020.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    When I last sat down to write about a Billie Joe Armstrong project, I put my thoughts down on a band called The Longshot. What I wasn’t expecting from the new Green Day album, called Father of All Motherfuckers, is for that aforementioned side project to surpass the quality of the much more established brand. But alas, on Green Day’s 13th studio album, they have taken a few steps backward as they try and regain their footing. At first, it was tough for me to put my finger on where it went wrong on this record, but after re-listening to the album a few more times since its release date, it just isn’t as strong as I have come to expect from the pop-punk giants. Produced by Butch Walker, Chris Dugan, and Green Day, the album should have been a momentous creative igniter for the band to re-solidify themselves right before their most prominent touring stint in recent memory (the Hella Mega Tour with Weezer and Fall Out Boy). But instead, the final mixes of this record feel like they are missing a key ingredient in what made the band such a fun time in the first place.

    Starting the set off with the Black Keys-esque sounding “Father of All Motherfuckers” is a curious choice for Green Day, as it immediately starts off this new era of the band by casting a lot of doubt on their direction. Whether it be Billie Joe attempting some falsetto vocals that don’t sound like himself at all, or the down-trodden hand claps and Motown elements thrown into the mix, it feels like the band was putting too much into the blender and powering on the device without putting the lid back on. Things don’t improve too much on their other recently released singles that follow the strange opener with “Fire, Ready, Aim” and “Oh Yeah!” On “Fire Ready Aim,” Billie Joe again uses an interesting vocal approach that falls somewhere between himself and Jack White. The unfortunate part behind it is that it begins to become that much clearer that he and the band didn’t think this one all the way through. While the band mentioned in several interviews that they were trying to “create a mess” on this album, this surely couldn’t have been the endgame, right? “Oh Yeah!” rocks like a White Stripes song with a little bit of the pompous stomp of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” yet the band doesn’t put forth their usual swagger and trademark elements on this effort.

    “Meet Me On the Roof” makes the attempt of being a dancehall worthy song with Billie Joe singing, “I’m crawling on the dance floor / I think I lost my phone / Feeling like a toothache / My face is going numb / I beg a thousand pardons / All my friends are crazy / Hanging from the window / And all you gotta do is jump.” The song is catchier than the first three songs, but it lacks the overall weight and substance of what we have grown accustomed to. Other songs like, “I Was a Teenage Teenager” with its pulsating Mike Dirnt bass line bring things back into focus a little bit. Still, it’s hard to imagine the band setting the bar this low for themselves after so much great material that came before them in their storied career.

    “Stab You In the Heart” sounds like a track that could have better fit on a Foxboro Hottubs album, while “Sugar Youth” brings back some of the missing energy and power from the earlier songs on Father of All Motherfuckers. Billie Joe sings quickly and confidently on the latter track, “I got the shakes and I’m on fire / I got a feeling and it’s dangerous / I’m gonna dance to something wild / I got a feeling and I need a rush.” Still, the song is over as quickly as it begins without saying much of substance. The entire record seems as rushed as I can ever remember a Green Day album being with the track titles averaging about two and a half minutes each and the total running time clocking in at just over 26 minutes. That would make this the shortest album in Green Day’s discography, and maybe that was the overall intention: come in, get the cheap thrills, and get the hell out of there. The major problem with this strategy and, in turn the record altogether is it’s perfectly fine to work on your brevity on an album, but if it doesn’t say anything, what are you really left with?

    In the end, we’re left with one of the few later career missteps in Green Day’s history as a band. They tried to come in and “make a mess,” but they sound like a band who forgot to come back the next day to apologize and clean up their friend’s house that they just trashed. Green Day are big enough of a band to recover from this, and I hope they will use the Hella Mega Tour to revitalize themselves and recognize the power and beauty of their earlier material in some of the biggest state-wide shows to date.

     
  2. bmir14

    Trusted Supporter

    Stab you in the heart is great. The rest, well...
     
  3. Neon Light

    rage and love

    How do you write a review without mentioning the best song on the album?
     
    Zach likes this.
  4. heymattrick

    Pool Boy at the Vampire Mansion

    I like the title track, and Oh Yeah! is catchy enough, but aside from Graffitia, which is probably my favorite track on the whole album, I feel like the rest falls pretty flat and doesn't have a lot of replay potential.
     
  5. BradBradley

    Regular

    After watching their goofy video about the fake Green Day album, I’ve really enjoyed “Rome Falls” and “Average Working Man” by Panicland a lot.
     
    Woohoo! and AlwaysEvolving21 like this.
  6. fredwordsmith

    Trusted Supporter

    It’s bad. It’s worse than the trio. Worse than any of their respective side projects.

    The songs are half-baked, the lyrics are awful and it all sounds like they shat it out in a single afternoon. I cannot believe I preordered the damn splatter vinyl.

    I still hope against hope that they have an actual album stored away now that they’re out of their record contract, waiting to see the light of day before Hella Mega. That’s the only solace I take from this release from one of my favorite bands of all time.
     
  7. DooDooBird

    Trusted

    This album isn’t enjoyable at all. I don’t know what happened to this band. It’s like they took b-sides from their side projects and decided to throw them together and call it a Green Day album.
     
  8. somethingwitty

    Trusted

    Anyone know how their tour is selling? Saw Toronto tickets in Groupon last week
     
  9. tdlyon

    Most Dope Supporter

    I like it
     
  10. Jacktheskipper

    Regular

    Made it through the record two times and I won't come back ... maybe there are people to enjoy this, I'm not one of them.
     
    thecobrakais likes this.
  11. albatrossskyer

    w00tSTAR Worldwide

    magnum opus of the inglorious kind is a better album
     
    Woohoo! and Carrow like this.
  12. thecobrakais

    Regular

    i tried so hard to like this. just can't get onboard.
     
  13. paythetab likes this.
  14. Starting this off by saying everyone has an opinion, music is subjective, and I respect people’s right to share their thoughts.

    However, I’m really surprised and perplexed by all the negativity directed at this album. I’m not the biggest Green Day fan (actually more of a casual listener at this point), and maybe that’s the issue—my thoughts are fairly unbiased. I find this album full of catchy hooks, tight musicianship, and completely opposite thoughts on recording/production than I’m seeing (I find the production refreshing). It’s a fun album that I’m really enjoying, and actually think it’s the best Billie Joe has sounded in years. Yes, the lyrics are not a work of poetic glory, but is that really why people have come to love Green Day? Other than American Idiot (album) and a few standout tracks from other albums, I don’t find their music to be A+ songmanship. They wanna rock in their own way and be who they are. Additionally, there are plenty of other applauded records on this site with equally as bad (or worse) lyrics.

    I’m a little disappointed at the sheer hate that’s directed at this album from this site. I’ve come to love Chorus for the change in vibe it promotes vs. the negativity we started to see on AbsolutePunk. I almost feel like this is an, “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say nothing at all” opportunity. This is the first time I’m seeing a review badged with “do not recommend” which just doesn’t seem right. Maybe I’m missing something bigger (I don’t follow the marketing or other PR surrounding the album), but I personally don’t believe an artist deserves this level of sourness over something they created for people to enjoy.
     
  15. clockwise

    GREEN DUDES BEST GREEN DAY PODCAST Prestigious

    This is a good album.
     
  16. heymattrick

    Pool Boy at the Vampire Mansion

    I’ve been a Green Day fan since I was in grade school. I’ve listened to every album as it’s been released for the past twenty years. I’ve seen them live more time than I have fingers.

    I do not find this album very fun. American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown, and evening Revolution Radio all were leaps forward in terms of musicianship and songwriting. This album is a huge regression in quality from them, just like the trilogy was. It feels like an album full of filler and B-sides. The album feels like a parody.
     
    fredwordsmith and DooDooBird like this.
  17. SamLevi11

    Trusted Prestigious

    This album truly sucks.
     
    DooDooBird likes this.
  18. fredwordsmith

    Trusted Supporter

    This is a totally fair opinion. I think what people expect from Green Day at this point is so far removed from what was presented, that clouds some judgement. It certainly does for me.

    Just because it was created for enjoyment does not mean it is good. “The Room” was created to be a great film and while it brings people joy today, it is certainly not for the reasons intended by the creator. Not all art is good, nor is all art bad. It is purely subjective. In this case, I think the band is simply running into the idea that most people did not want or expect this from them - and it is such a far cry from their previous (and varied) high points that it feels like a massive letdown.

    I can appreciate an artist trying something new. A real artist will also recognize when something is a huge miss and pivot accordingly. That doesn’t mean write American Idiot part 2: it means following your heart to the point of the next idea, and being bold enough to try again. That’s the faith I have in the band. They did it remarkably well after the trio into what was an amazing record in Revolution Radio. I believe they can do it again.
     
    heymattrick likes this.
  19. BradBradley

    Regular

    I agree with everything that you wrote. Also, what if following their hearts to the point of the next idea and being bold enough to try again meant writing Nimrod or Warning pt. 2?
     
  20. fredwordsmith

    Trusted Supporter

    We should BE so lucky that those are the possibilities!
     
    heymattrick and BradBradley like this.
  21. Ska Senanake

    Trusted

    I really like this record.
     
    clockwise likes this.
  22. paythetab

    Chorus.FM Album Reviewer (Adam Grundy) Supporter