There has always been an element of genius to Green Day, whether it be the fusion 

of punk music with unashamed pop melodies or the occasional gem that gives a real 

insight into how musically talented the band are in other fields. It is also fair to say that the 

band has evolved thematically with 2004ʼs ʻAmerican Idiotʼ changing the usual subject 

matter of teen angst to political commentary. The amount of publicity ʻAmerican Idiotʼ got 

gave the band a status that it had not had previously, with more airplay and a much wider 

fan base than ever before. Now, after nearly a five year gap the band are back with the 

much anticipated ʻ21st Century Breakdownʼ and expectations are set extremely high. 

 The album, in an attempt to be even more of a rock opera than its predecessor, is 

split into three sections or ʻactsʼ as they are called, the first being ʻHeroes and Consʼ 

followed by ʻCharlatans and Saintsʼ and ʻHorseshoes and Hand Grenadesʼ. The record 

begins with ʻSong of the Centuryʼ Which is a short intro into the title track ʻ21st Century 

Breakdownʼ. At this point the style of the album seems quite different to what has been 

heard before from the band, in fact with the long intro into the first song, ringing guitars, 

and strong use of backing vocals, I would say the sound is best described as reminiscent 

of The Whoʼs later records. There is also a slight U2-like guitar riff in there somewhere. Yet 

with all this, Green Dayʼs trademark sound is still nestled in the song and itʼs not long 

before chants are shouted and the three power chord hooks are released. This certainly 

isnʼt a bad thing, as Green Dayʼs sound has clearly become more passionate than ever. 

The bandʼs first single from the album is ʻKnow Your Enemyʼ which some would say is one 

of the more predictable songs on the album, in the same vein as the title track from 

ʻAmerican Idiotʼ power chord guitars are accompanied by the political writings of the bandʼs 

front man, Billie-Joe Armstrong, who has penned a seemingly more lyrically ambitious 

record than before, songs like ʻ21st Century Breakdownʼ and ʻEast Jesus Nowhereʼ 

provide quite hard hitting commentary on life in modern America. This album really seems 

to show a higher level of sophistication in songwriting as well as sound. 

 At the heart of the album the thrashing Green day sound is still there but they are 

pushing their music somewhat. ʻRestless Heart Syndromeʼ and ʻLast Night On Earthʼ are 

two songs that really arenʼt expected from Green Day, venturing into the piano ballad 

territory. This is new for the band, and Billie-Joeʼs voice does a decent job of keeping a 

more melodic tone, though it is noticeable that his comfort zone is still in more powerful 

parts. Three chord hooks definitely take a back seat to more experimentation in this album, 

yet the album is definitely unified with recurring riffs, melodies and lyrical themes, giving it 

more credence as a concept album.  As a rock opera ʻ21st Century Breakdownʼ isnʼt 

exactly a progressive rock opus, the inclusion of the three acts doesnʼt seem to really add 

anything thematically, and the two main ʻcharactersʼ Christian and Gloria are mentioned, 

but arenʼt featured explicitly. Yet the album it is definitely more accessible for this, so it is 

perhaps best that the band didnʼt try to define a distinct story throughout the album. This is 

not to say the album fails as an overall concept, reoccurring riffs and constant themes 

make this album just as good a concept album if not better than what ʻAmerican Idiotʼ was. 

 Other notable songs on the album include ʻ21 Gunsʼ which is one of the prime 

examples showing Green Dayʼs progression. ʻMurder Cityʼ is most definitely Green Day 

true to form, and is one of the best tracks on the record for it. ʻSee The Lightʼ, the final 

track, is interesting perhaps not only for the track itself, but because the intro is also subtly 

used at the beginning of the album as the intro to the title track and so this rounds off the 

album effectively. The reoccurring themes, both musically and lyrically certainly make ʻ21st 

Century Breakdownʼ Green Dayʼs most ambitious record. 

 ʻAmerican Idiotʼ showed that the band had the ability to try something beyond three 

chord power pop, and ʻ21st Century Breakdownʼ is the epitome of that evolution, a record 

that is finely put together and works as a unified album that is intended to be listened to 

from start to finish, in the days of downloads this kind of album is becoming rarer. The 

political content is more intense and the variation between songs shows that the band 

were going for an epic feel, and they pulled this off without sounding pretentious, which is 

a worry when phrases like ʻrock operaʼ are tossed around. At the heart of ʻ21st Century 

Breakdownʼ is the angst Green Day have always had, yet now it has been channeled into 

an album which, though  arguably a mainstream pop/rock record, has a genuine and 

passionate punk mentality running throughout with itʼs commentary on modern America. 

Green Day fans will love this album but even if you arenʼt one of the wholly converted, 

ʻ21st Century Breakdownʼ is still worth a listen. 

8/10