There were only a handful that jumped out at me at my first listen, but I don't think it's bad. I may not get too into it but I think it's boring before it's bad.... lol. We'll see I guess. Last two songs were my favorites
I mean, I just find the band kind of obnoxiously bad in the early days. Dookie does nothing for me. American Idiot is the only one where I'm like "ok these guys are actually decent songwriters" but even then the slurs and BJs voice kind of turn me off from it as well. But more power to those that enjoy the band and the record. I wish I could.
I'm bummed because I love their discography by and large, I just think they've fallen off a cliff. Very disappointing.
On my second listen now. I feel like the front half is a little stronger than the back half, but I really like "Forever Now." Is "Ordinary World" supposed to function somewhat as a bonus track or epilogue? It just seems like "Forever Now" is a pretty conclusive piece of music to bookend "Somewhere Now", leaving "Ordinary World" to feel out of place.
It's kind of similar to AI in that regard, Ordinary World functions as an epilogue similar to the way Whatsername does, I would say.
I mean, to each their own of course. I just figured if you didn't like all of their albums, I'm surprised there is one exception. I would think that AI is diverse enough to where you can find a lot of songs on the other albums to appreciate all the same.
It's so nice to actually have a cohesive album after the trilogy mess. I'm digging this more and more each listen. Youngblood is obnoxiously catchy. These songs will be so fun live.
I'm pleasantly surprised by this album. It's so much more focused and enjoyable than the trilogy and 21st Century Breakdown. Definitely their best since American Idiot.
Have now heard this three times. I am the biggest Green Day stan on this site (maybe tied with @clockwise ), and even I'll admit this was a grower. On my first listen I was slightly underwhelmed (though songs that immediately jumped out to me besides the already released ones were Somewhere Now, Say Goodbye, Outlaws, and Forever Now), but listening to this on my to work today and then again a few hours ago made it grow on me a ton. Some of Billie's best singing ever, and his best lyrics in a very long time, with surprisingly experimental songs as well. I'm gonna do what I did in the California thread and write my thoughts down Somewhere Now: Really interesting sound for them to explore, I definitely agree with the Who comparisons. The lyrics and instrumentation are great, and I've kept getting the part where he sings the title in my head. 4/5 Bang Bang: Still an absolutely killer song. Awesome punk vibe, dark but powerful lyrics, and an incredibly catchy chorus. One of my favorite singles they've released in a very long time. 5/5 Revolution Radio: Probably the most "typical" Green Day song on the album but it still experiments with a different style of guitar playing. There's even pinch harmonics in the solo! Again, incredibly catchy chorus. 4.5/5 Say Goodbye: Dark sounding intro leads into a Holiday/East Jesus Nowhere-esque marching beat. Though this song kind of just seems like a chorus repeated a bunch of times without much in the way of verses, I really like the overall vibe. Really heavy guitars and drums too. 3.5/5 Outlaws: I love this song. Probably one of my favorite "ballads" they've ever done. Lyrics are fantastic, the instrumentation with the quiet drums in the verses and the bow guitar and subtle piano keeps it interesting, and I'm absolutely in love with the chorus melody. 5/5 Bouncing Off the Wall: Had to grow on me but it's a really fun song. Nothing really substantial but the chorus is super catchy and I love the line "We're all bloody freaks and we'll give you the creeps" no matter how dumb it is. 3/5 Still Breathing: Possibly one of the most powerful songs they've ever recorded. BJ's singing is phenomenal, the lyrics poignantly touch on his personal life while remaining relatable, and the more modern sound brings an entirely new element to the track. I really hope this becomes a hit. 5/5 Youngblood: Probably the funniest song BJ has written since Nimrod. Love how light-hearted it is. 3.5/5 Too Dumb to Die: This is the only one I currently struggle to recall how it goes off the top of my head. The lyrics are pretty good but this song is really nothing special I think. 2.5/5 Trouble Times: Again, I love the melodies of this song, and that chorus is just dirty. Lyrics are nothing special imo (which is odd since BJ was hyping this one up a lot) but the heavy guitars and unique melodies make up for it. 3/5 Forever Now: Was really looking forward to this one as I always love their long songs, and while it's not one of their best, I love it. The first half is fantastic, and the Somewhere Now reprise was a great idea. Some of the best lyrics on the album (I love how he incorporates the themes/lyrics of so many of the other songs) throughout this whole song and the ending is really great. Only downside is that this could kind of drag without the proper context of the rest of the album imo. 4.5/5 Ordinary World: Pretty typical acoustic Green Day track, which means it has a beautiful melody over some simple chords. Lyrics are really nothing special but I really like the vibe, though I'm not quite sure this fits with the rest of the album. 3/5 With this album, I think Green Day definitely accomplished what they set out to do, which was make a very solid album without gimmicks to was the taste of the trilogy era out of the public's mouths. I really appreciated the return of the political themes, which is an aspect of their music that I've always loved, as well as the more experimental nature of most of the tracks, which they completely pull off for the most part, yet still keep the Green Day feel. Billie Joe showcases some of his best singing ever and his best writing in years, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt get some awesome parts to shine, and the production, done by the band themselves, is for the most part up to par. I'm sure the album will continue to grow on me and I'll gain a new appreciation for some songs I may not have been super into, but for now I'm giving the album a tentative 4/5. Can't wait to see them live. If you read all of this, you are awesome
Just started listening, big smile on my face at the first song. Happy to have these guys back in proper form.
Find myself singing "Too Dumb" several times a day. It's the most Nimrod song on the album. Love the entire structure of the song. Classic Green Day.
Album is on track to hit #1. Numbers are kinda weak for them, though: 74-79k (77-82k SPS). blink did 100k more and Green Day is the bigger band...
Bored To Death also worked better for crossover appeal. I know they have other "singles" out there, but Bang Bang isn't going to attract as wide of an audience as BTD did.