REVISED:Don't Wanna be an American Idiot

Hmmmm if you had to pick one unifying theme of all punk music what would it be? I'd say rebellion. Punk music itself was created on the idea that making music didn't have to have rules. They typically started in someone's garage and were just a bunch of guys who didn't have any formal musical training just messing around (trying to get girls by saying "yeah I'm in a band)". Most of the time the bands flopped or the members just grew out of the phase. But on the rare chance some bands made it. This was the case for Green Day.

Green Day has been around since the 90's when they released their first EP at the age of 14. C'mon 14 years old and releasing a successful EP; thats amazing. At 14 I was on my couch watching Hannah Montana..... with that out there I think it's impressive that they made it. From there the band's career skyrocketed and became a staple of the punk music genre. They have released a ton of music, I mean they started making music when they were weeee little lads. But none of the music they have made can touch American Idiot. It was wildly successful and even has a broadway show after it.

American Idiot is the epitome of showing how much one band can grow. The sound of this album blends authentic punk with radio punk. It seems to have it's foot in each genre creating a perfect balance of both. In most authentic punk like NOFX the lyrics make hardly any sense and the focus of the music is on the instruments, mostly guitars and drums. Yes, I did make up the term authentic punk. But when I say authentic punk I mean the punk that is really made in a garage, sounds like a mash up of heavy instruments, and typically is not played on the radio. In this album the strong instruments compliment the vocals rather than compete for attention. Speaking of vocals, Armstrong keeps the whole authentic punk thing going because even when he is singing ballads he has this raspy, smoker voice that just makes the whole song feel grungy. Green Day kept the fast and angry tone throughout most of the album, which makes sure they stay true to their roots. With that being said, they did take some aspect from radio punk. In American Idiot, Green Day made choruses that even your grandma could sing along too which made the songs perfect for the radio. Another perk of this album being radio punk too is that the instrumentation is a lot more complex than authentic punk. I mean just range of instruments used is amazing. The album has everything from pianos to the typical guitars. When I say guitars, I'm talking about guitar pieces that feature more than three chords. American Idiot is balance of keeping the true badass punk rock but also being mainstream enough for common white girls (yes me) to like the music too.

The album has a plot line that chronicles the life of "Jesus of Suburbia" and his struggles of living in suburban, everyday America. The two bookends of the story are "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming". Both songs come in at about 9 minutes a piece which is a tad too long for my taste. It works here because Green Day keeps the energy and pace up by constantly changing the instrumentation up switching from rapid fire drums to melodic guitars and pianos. When that is put with the bold statements made by the band, it makes something worth listening too. Green Day tells their opinion on everyday life as an American through their characters which all have weird names, that I found really funny. For example, St. Jimmy and Whatsername are some of the other people in featured in the songs. But these characters are just typical teenagers growing up in suburbia who fall into the pit that is life. They wake up and realize how much it sucks being an adult, that we all get end up becoming part of  "subliminal mind-fuck America".

Okay, so now that I covered a whole overview of the album I want to go into details on which songs are my jam. My favorite song is "Wake Me Up When September Ends". I love everything about it. I like that Armstrong takes a break from his yelling, well not really yelling more like casually shouting. You finally hear how soothing of a vocalist he can be. The melody is so calming in "Wake Me Up When September Ends". My absolute favorite part is how the guitar comes in right as the chorus starts. The guitar is soft but also has an edge. It's a Green Day burrito that has been wrapped in love with free guacamole on the side (I have no other way to describe my love for this song). Next is "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".The one thing that stands out to me as being different on this track is the that Armstrong just speaks the chorus and then builds up to singing or shouting a bit plus having intense drums. I think that having the chorus slowly build up makes the lyrics have more of an impact.

With all the positives being listed about the album it's time to cover some of the things that were not so hot about American Idiot.  The first thing that comes to mind is the song "Homecoming". It's one of the bookends for the Jesus of Suburbia plot line and to me it's just one of the worst things they have ever put out. It drags on and is horrible hod podge of a bunch of things that do not gel. Like I said earlier, the instruments are placed together well and can work even though they are so different but "Homecoming" is the case where it does not work. It sounds just as bad as you think having a piano piece next to a huge guitar solo; it feels like they just didn't take the time to work out the transitions between each section. Overall, it's the weak link of the album and I always skip it.

American Idiot is a great album. It has everything that a good pop-punk record should have. It's catchy while still being badass. Not to mention the range of songs it has. There is seriously a song for each of your moods. I also think that it just the right amount of rebel in it. Green Day was one of the first to take aspects of authentic punk and make it mainstream, making them a huge inspiration for bands everywhere.

REVISED: From Under the Cork Tree

From Under the Cork Tree, Fall Out Boy's sophomore album was released on May 3, 2005. Even though it is a sophomore album, it lacks the crappy music; Fall Out Boy even cracks jokes about how the sophomore album is supposed to suck with the song title "Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year". The whole album is poking fun at everyone, even themselves. There are obnoxious song titles such as "Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued" that compliment the lighthearted feeling the entire album puts off. With that being said, the album may not be the most beautifully crafted or musically technical piece it still has a lot of merits that make it worth listening too. The album accomplishes what it sets to do, sell albums and be catchy. 

Let's say that you are only going to listen to 3 songs off the album which 3 songs should you listen too? First one is an easy choice,  "I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me".  It starts off Stump just speaking the chorus that sets the whole tone of the song because you can actually fully understand the lyrics. He then goes from speaking to singing as soon as the guitar strumming switches to an actual piece. The entire energy level change makes the energy from the song infectious. Second choice, hmmmm a little bit harder. But I would have to go with "XO". The song is so fast paced, which sets it apart from the album. The entire song goes between intense strumming to lighter strumming and then when it's paired with Stump's hushed voice it's perfect. I would say that it reminds me of an actual relationship, filled with ups and downs.The song is so intense, and lacks the teenage whininess of cookie cutter Fall Out Boy. "XO" is more focused on the sonic elements rather than making relatable lyrics. The guitar is the main focus (you go Pete, we all know you are an attention whore). Lastly, how could I forget "Sugar We're Doing Down". We all heard it about 23894345909 times on the radio. Nevertheless it is still an awesome song that I jam to every single time I hear it. The reason everyone is drawn to it is because of the huge guitar rifts between the choruses. Plus the little hums in the background of the chorus just make it seem like everyone is agreeing that whatever Stump is saying is right. Like I really don't think the lyrics make sense it's just that the guitar/drums/vocals all match up perfectly to make everything have a nice flow. 

So my coach in high school used to tell me that you are only as strong as your weakest link. If I applied that to this album which song would be the weaklings of the group? Hands down, would be "Dance, Dance". I know that is was super popular and all which is great for them but it is extremely annoying. Stump sounds like a 12 year old boy who is whining throughout the whole thing. Plus the song is the same word repeated 27 times (yes I counted).  I love this album but "Dance, Dance" could be gone and it would make the album exponentially better. 

The highlight of From Under the Cork Tree is definitely the experience that the listener has when listening to the songs. The playful, catchy chorus' instantly lifts any mood and just makes you want to dance (we can all dance together).  The entire time I listened to this album I was slightly dancing at my desk which makes me think that this album would be perfect background music at a party. 

The first listen through of the album, I thought every single song sounded exactly the same. But I listened to it more and it seems that each song is slightly different. But the band does stay in the same three chords for guitar pieces; they also basically only feature guitars and drums which is typical of pop punk but still would be refreshing if they had incorporated something else. In some songs there is a bit of bass flare which made the songs more interesting to listen too. Another thing that comes across as odd while listening to that every song sounds like it was made to just be a single. Because of that the album lacks unity and becomes less of a story and less relatable. 

While the sophomore slump is as real as the freshman 15 (thanks college), Fall Out Boy seems to be able to develop from one hit wonders into a band that can consistently put out good music. From Under The Cork Tree is enough pop for everyone to like but also enough punk to distinguish their sound.

About Me

Honestly, if you're here then you are probably either A) in my English class or B) just saw that this blog had a weird name and clicked on it. I mean I do have five page views even though there is nothing on the blog yet, not sure how that happened. But the name can easily be explained if you have ever heard of a little band named Green Day. I mean just a small band, has a Broadway show after them you know no big deal. Who am I kidding? Green Day was one of the most popular bands in the early to mid 2000's.  They were a mainstream while also keeping the punk roots.

 I grew up listening to their music, and I totally would yell the lyrics as loud as I could. Little Heather thought she was so bad ass for listening to punk bands like I didn't live in suburban Charlotte. I was fascinated with the whole culture, and even though I no longer think I am such a hot shot for knowing their music I am still in awe of the whole music genre. So for my blog, I want to submerge myself in the whole culture. I want to know why the punk bands skyrocketed in the 2000's and how that genre set themselves apart from the rest of the music world. I know that punk was still a thing before them, I mean there are greats like NOFX and Sex Pistols. While those were popular bands, they weren't constantly putting out billboard number ones. With that being said I want to know why the transition happened to mainstream. I mean everyone and their brother listened to Weezer, Good Charlotte, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, etc. Was it the lyrics or the beats or just that the music was good quality? That's what I want to know. Hence the blog named after "Wake Me Up When September Ends", so witty I know. I have so many ideas of what I want to cover but and all the bands that I fangirled over growing up. If you did too, you can admit it we all had that awkward middle school punk stage, it's okay it happens to the best of us. Even when you take away the middle school me, I still love the music. When I hear The Killers I instantly become in a better mood. It's just a thing, but that's the thing about music.

So back to what I want this blog to become. I want this to feel like I'm just talking to a friend about some of my favorite music, even if that includes a little bit of my ranting. I want to know everything from what was the first popular 2000's punk rock band to how it has developed and grew over time. People could say that it's just my opinion that I'm not expert and that is 100% true. I'm just a college kid who has a weird thing for old music, so what qualifies me to even write about it? I just like music and maybe someone out there will like to hear me talk about it. Even if you don't I'm going to keep writing (like stated this is a grade). The whole point of this thing is so that maybe I can become a better writer but also so that I can express my ideas about music. That sounds like the whole thing is about me, but I swear its not. I want to give the punk music a little bit of justice and more credit than just being a whole bunch of billboard number #1's. The songs and the music mean something, at least they do to me. So basically that's my mission statement; to be a genuine and authentic while also thoughtfully reflecting on punk music of the 2000's.  "Somebody Told Me" that you were gonna like my blog, the puns just don't stop people.