Review Summary: The best album of all time.
GREEN DAY-- AMERICAN IDIOT
Usually I like to listen to a dramatically dense and moody record- Have A Nice Life's Deathconsciousness and Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile come to mind- but those aren't really albums you can listen to for fun. American Idiot is not one of these albums. Just from the eponymous opener, Billie Joe's voice screams at you with "Don't wanna be an American Idiot!", and that is the voice that will serenade you through the rest of this masterpiece.
For those of you who live under a rock, American Idiot follows the tale of the Jesus of Suburbia, a disaffected youth who has a persistent hate for those around him, including himself. Sick of his hometown, Jesus flees for the big city. The story chronicles his downward spiral of insanity, as he wrestles with himself, a Tyler Durden-like alter ego, and the sweeps of romance. Green Day didn't know how to end the album, and chose to leave it up to interpretation. And fair enough, because this is probably the first concept album I haven't heard the protagonist kill him/herself.
For the most part, that's a very good thing. While the Mars Volta's De-Loused In The Comatorium ended on a down note and was just plain beautiful, Green Day doesn't need melancholic sadness to craft the perfect album. One that is still full of angst, drama, and the downfall of its hero. The album instead finishes with Jesus losing everyone that actually mattered to him, and still feeling empty with his situation. Some like to argue that their next record, 21st Century Breakdown, is a continuation of American Idiot. I beg to differ, as the former never really goes anywhere in terms of solid structure, whereas American Idiot connects a greater theme and keeps on going.
In my opinion, this record really sums up everything Green Day lives and breathes in, as well as their past and future. And while some critics don't appreciate where the trio is headed, at least this album, and those before it, meant a good deal to people. And in the end, that's what American Idiot is all about.
