Revolution Radio - Yep.

Green Day - Revolution Radio

Released October 7th, 2016

Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool

Genre: Punk Rock

Intro

Happy Birthday to me. Yes, today is my birthday- May 25th. I'm writing this review on the 24th, so yeah if you're reading this then happy birthday to me. I am 26 years old now and that fucking sucks. Life is so dogshit I just want to go back 10 years and be 16 again. Anyway, I thought I would have to do a Green Day album for my birthday review and tell some stories about my life so this review is going to be a little about me and a little about the album. What do I think about it? You already know what I think about it. Let's get right the fuck into it.

Thoughts & Feelings?

This album makes me feel every emotion in the book. Happiness, excitement, surprise, but also depression, sadness, loneliness, and heartbreak. I don't know what it is about this album- probably the fact that I was still developing as a person in 2016 and this album really changed and influenced me a lot. I was just learning how to be an adult at age 19 when this album dropped, and life was difficult. I was still in college just barely passing classes, struggling financially and mentally and wondering why I was so deep and dark within myself, and trying my best to just make it through life. I still am just trying to do that but at least I'm a lot more mature and figured out some life stuff by now. Anyway yeah this album just brings back all of those emotions I had, listening to it for the first time in October 2016. This was also the month I got dumped on Halloween, which really fucking sucked. I bought the girl I was dating at the time tickets to go see Green Day since they were touring for this new album, and she straight up dumps me on Halloween. Yeah that fucking sucked. Anyway my sister Avery said she wanted to go with us, and I said to my dad that I had an extra ticket. He thought I was legit joking so he didn't even bother following up- no blame on him I should've been more clear. Anyway yeah turns out at the concert my dad is like "why is there an empty seat beside us?" and I said I told you, I have an extra ticket. Anyway we laugh about it now, sorry Aves. Anyway yeah that's how I feel, don't ask me to elaborate any further, I don't really know, man.

This album is very special to me for obvious reasons. Still learning how to get through life and shit and all I had to cope with my awful thoughts and anxiety was beautiful sweet Green Day. After their disastrous release of Uno Dos & Tres back a few years ago, I kind of fell out of a relationship with Green Day. I stopped listening to them because I was like eh this shit sucks I don't really care anymore. Then all of a sudden this dropped and holy fuck I was RIGHT back on the hype train. Honestly this album changed a lot for me. It renewed my love for Green Day and made me realize that they are and forever will be my favourite band of all time. Obviously as a kid growing up in the early 2000s, I used to hear the main hits of Dookie and American Idiot on the radio, but I never really EXPLORED what else they had to offer. I remember buying tickets for the concert and I didn't want to spoil myself with the set list. I didn't want to know what all the songs were going to be, I wanted to be surprised but I didn't want to not know any song they were gonna play- so I spent months just listening to every single album on repeat until I learned literally every single song off of every single album. 2016 is when I absolutely plunged head first into Green Day and explored literally everything I could. It paid off in a great way because there were some songs they played that I absolutely would not have known if I didn't explore them like I did. I think if I remember correctly there was a song off Kerplunk that they played that I was excited to hear as soon as they started, and I looked over at my dad and friends beside me and they were confused because it wasn't a mainstream song- something like 2000 Light Years Away I think. Anyway yeah that was a great show, and was the 2nd time I saw Green Day live in my life. Definitely more enjoyable the 2nd time, being a mature 19 year old- oh my fucking god no I wasn't mature I completely forgot about this. I was obviously 19 and the legal drinking age in Canada is 19, so naturally I buy a couple Coronas but the problem is they open the cans for you (OBVIOUSLY, I didn't know this at 19)- so I had to double fist Coronas at the Green Day show in front of my dad. That was probably the first time I ever drank in front of my dad. Absolutely hilarious, but yeah it was an awesome time. So yeah that was the story of the concert. I wrote all that and I haven't even started listening to the album. Just needed to get that through.

Sorry for that long story. I just felt like there was a couple cheeky stories of my life growing up that needed to go in there. Hey it's my birthday so I'm allowed to say whatever I want. Anyway yeah let's get into the ACTUAL album and see what I think. I'll try to go over my first impressions back in 2016, and a reflection of today as well. Let's get into it.

Smash or Pass?

Somewhere Now - SMAAASSSHHHH. I was VERY scared listening to this song for the first time because I wanted Green Day to go back to their roots. Back to the days of Nimrod. Well after this sweet little acoustic section by Billie- that's EXACTLY WHAT WE FUCKING GOT BABY. BOOM ABSOLUTE EXPLOSION BACK INTO THE PUNK ROCK SCENE THAT NO ONE WAS EXPECTING. It's a fucking MIRACLE, THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN BABY WITH A KICKASS TRACK. Sure, this song is just your standard rock song and doesn't hold much weight outside of the album but holy FUCK did this catch me off guard back in 2016. I remember being so fucking hyped because I was like fuck YEAH BOYS, Green Day is BACK, baby. This is a great fucking song and it sets the tone of the album PERFECTLY. Here it is, punk rock back in action. Enjoy this song because we ain't stopping. Shoutout to the Christmas bells, that's kind of cool.

Bang Bang - SMMMMMMMAAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH. PROBABLY the most popular song on this album. It's FUCKING GREAT. Absolutely amazing, I fucking love this song. It's PUNK ROCK, BABY. That's all you really want from these boys is songs like FUCKING THIS. LOUD, FAST, CRAZY GOOD. This song kicks fucking ASS. The music video is pretty shit but that's okay I don't give a flying FUCK. This song is AWESOME and SO fucking fun to play on guitar. But yeah this is EXACTLY what Green Day needed and STILL need to play. Songs like THIS. This sounds like it could've come straight off Nimrod and I fucking love that. I want more songs like this that are fast, fully of energy and just crazy action packed. There is so much to love about this song, I can't help but jam to this shit.

Revolution Radio - SMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG. THIS IS MY FAVOURITE ON THE ALBUM. LITERALLY FUCKING ICONIC. EASY GOLD. KICKASS SEXY GUITAR RIFFS, FAST PACE ACTION, CATCHY AS FUCK. I ESPECIALLY love the music video for this fucking song. Go check that out below because it's just SO good. It's so simple but so fucking good. I absolutely love the old school footage, and then at the end where they make it look like the old footage- absolutely amazing. This song is SO FUCKING CATCHY. It's so difficult not to fucking sing it at the top of my god damn lungs hell YEAH BABY LET'S GO.

Say Goodbye - SMASH. Can you believe this is a LOW POINT of the album? This is definitely my least favourite song of the album but it FUCKING KICKS ASS REGARDLESS. This easily would be the gold medal on a lot of other albums. It's jammy and catchy. The solo is pretty fucking wild on this song so I like that a lot.

Outlaws - SMMAASSHHH. What a great fucking song. This song is so unconventional it's fucking great. I love this song a lot. At first you think it's gonna be slow and boring and have nothing good going for it and then all of a sudden WHOOOOOMMMMMM OOOOOOOUUUTTTTLLAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWSSSSSSSSSSSS. This song is so fucking catchy let's fucking GO. Sorry I got absolutely lost in this song for a while. The verses just transport you somewhere else and then bring you right back to reality during the chorus. I eSPECIALLY love the bridge section of this song. That shit is fucking awesome. OH MANNNNN THE OUTRO PIANO SECTION HOLY FUCKING CHILLS. THAT SHIT IS SOOOO SMOOTH.

Bouncing off the Wall - SMMMMMMMAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH. I used to think this was my favourite song on this album but probably not, Revolution Radio is better. Holy FUCK THIS SONG IS GREAT. Kickass guitar action, fast pace punk rock song. Absolutely amazing, nothing to complain about for this song because it's fucking AWESOME. The chorus is so fucking catchy. I fucking love how many guitar parts are unique in this song, there are like 4 different tones being used, it's so sick. I also FUCKING LOVE HOW THIS SONG FUCKING TRANSITIONS INTO THE NEXT SONG I LOVE WHEN SONGS DO THAT, DO THAT MORE OFTEN YOU FUCKING JERKS THAT SHIT IS AWESOME. DO THAT MORE.

Still Breathing - SMMMMMMAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. "I'm like a son that was raised without a father" Fucking... HEART, BROKEN. Crying inside for you Billie. Anyway THIS SONG IS SO FUCKING GOOD. GOD DAMN CHILLS RIGHT NOW. THIS SONG IS SO FUCKING GOOOODDDDD. HOLY FUUCCKKKK LET'S GOOOOO. THIS SONG IS EVERYTHING YOU WANT IT TO BE. IT'S SOFT AND SOOTHING, IT'S HEARTBREAKING AND SAD, IT'S PUNK ROCK, IT'S ROCK, IT'S FUCKING AMAZING. Absolute GOD tier song. The BRIDGE SECTION TOO HOLY FUCK. Absolutely godly.

Youngblood - SMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Shoutout to my dad, this is his favourite song on this album. Absolutely AMAZING. So fucking CATCHY, the guitar sounds fucking INSANE. I absolutely love how bouncy the riff and vocals are, just absolutely poppy but without losing that complete punk rock vibe. I fucking love the vocals in this song, some of them are just so hilarious and fun to sing. The bridge section for this song is VERY weak but that's okay- it's not the worst thing I've ever heard and quickly goes back into where it needs to go- a fucking BADASS SOLO. Hell yeah. Fucking love that trem picking, so good. "ARE YOU BROKEN? LIKE I'M BROKEN? ARE YOU RESTLESS, SHE SAID FUCK YOU I'M FROM OAKLAND" HOLY FUUUCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK SO GOOD. Shoutout to the A's for losing their franchise, unfortunate.

Too Dumb to Die - SMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH. SUPER FUCKING UNDERRATED TRACK. This song is SO kickass. Honestly probably one of my favourite songs on this album just based on how fucking SICK it is and how underrated it is. This gives me some crazy St. Jimmy vibes for some reason. Probably because of how fucking fast it is. Fast ass punk rock song about Santa Clause and Camouflage. No idea. Honestly what a fucking underrated song, I never hear anyone talking about this song and that's a fucking shame cause this song is so great and so fun and so enjoyable to play on guitar too holy fuck. I fucking love that guitar riff after the chorus.

Troubled Times - SMASH. This is another low point of the album but that's NOT FUCKING SAYING MUCH CAUSE THIS SONG SLAPS. This is a slow punk rock song and it's fucking groovy as all hell. Would NEVER skip this song, would add to my playlist, 9/10. Such a great fucking song but compared to the rest of the diamonds on this album, yikers.

Forever Now - SMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. ANOTHER FUCKING UNDERRATED PICK THAT IS MY SECOND FAVOURITE SONG ON THIS ALBUM IT'S SO FUCKING GOOD. This song literally shaped my personality and who I am as a person today. I literally listened to this song and realized fuck yeah I am a punk, I don't give a fuck if anyone else disagrees or argues with me, FUCK YOU. I am a punk, and I will fucking live my life like it. Thank you Billie Joe for showing me the way with this song. I used to be so self conscious because I wanted to be punk so bad growing up, and then I realized I should just stop being a poser, stop caring and just do what the fuck I want- punk will come afterwards. Now look at me I'm fucking badass. Anyway yeah this song is FUCKING AWESOME. There are SO many things to enjoy. I LOVE the guitar and the song structure and everything about it- and I just love where it goes. After the first few minutes it transitions into a completely different song and it's AWESOME. I love how the 2nd last song of so many albums is always these long ballads with multiple sections, this is your Homecoming, this is your American Eulogy, this is your Forever Now. "IF THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL THE GOOD LIFE, I WANT A BETTER WAY TO DIE"- HOLY FUCK. HOLY SHIT WHAT A LINE THAT IS. THEN FUCKING HALFWAY THROUGH IT GOES BACK TO SOMEWHERE NOW LIKE OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT THE HELL, YOU CAN'T DO THAT, THAT'S NOT ALLOWED OH MY GOD. It's LITERALLY Somewhere Now part 2 and it's FUCKING AWESOME. I have fucking CHILLS baby let's GO. "I AINT GONNA STAND IN LINE NO MORE"- so FUCKING GOOD. HONESTLY WHAT THE FUCK. SO MUCH IS GOING ON AND MAKING ME FEEL SO MANY FUCKING EMOTIONS I JUST WANT TO BREAK DOWN. THE ENDING TOO HOLY FUCK.

Ordinary World - SMASH. Not gonna say any names today because it's my birthday and I don't wanna think about shitty things but shoutout to you, you know who you are. This song is fucking beautiful and did you know there's a movie starring Billie Joe with the same title as this song? Absolutely AMAZING. The movie is VERY mid, but with Billie Joe as the lead role it's a fucking S tier from me dawg. Anyway yeah this song is very beautiful, the girls love it it's a slow acoustic ballad and it just makes me sad but accepting anytime I hear or play it. Bruh I'm gonna fucking start crying from this god damn song.

BONUS!!!

Back in the USA - Holy FUCK I had to include this one because it was released just after Revolution Radio in the compilation album God's Favorite Band, so if we're gonna talk about it we gotta talk about it right fucking now. FUCKING... SMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HOLY FUCK I REMEMBER WHEN THE VIDEO FOR THIS DROPPED AND GREEN DAY WERE BACK, SHITTING ON TRUMP LMAO HOLY FUCK. This song made me so fucking hopeful for the future and unfortunately I was let down by Father of All but whatever that's fine. Anyway yeah this SONG IS PERFECT. THE MUSIC VIDEO IS PERFECT. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SONG IS FUCKING PERFECT. GO WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO, I PUT IT UNDERNEATH REVOLUTION RADIO, GO FUCKING WATCH THAT SHIT NOW, IT'S H HILARIOUS, IT'S CATCHY, IT'S FUCKING PERFECT. A PERFECT SONG.

Conclusion

This album is extremely important not only to Green Day & fans, but to myself as well. For Green Day & fans, this album is proof that at the age the boys are at now, they are STILL able to make masterpieces. They just choose not to, which I can respect. They try new things and be crazy- that's how they've ALWAYS been. Green Day has never sat down to make an album they think will sell- they always create an album with new elements and something interesting that THEY enjoy. Take a look at every single album, NONE of them sound the same besides the trilogy, and that's on purpose. NO single album sounds the same. You can hear a song and almost immediately tell what album it's from. That's by design. This album is extremely important to me because it renewed my love for Green Day as a band, made me realize they are and forever will be my favourite band of all time- and I am extremely happy with that. Warning was the first tattoo I ever got, so I've permanently declared my love for them. 

RANK: A+

What do you guys think of this album? Sorry for so much review today, I just figured that since I have a lot to talk about, might as well just talk about it. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments, love you all and happy Thursday!

- Sharky