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Green Day - Warning

Warning

When Warning kicks off with the title track, the straightforward acoustic rocker shows promise for the album. Green Day’s playing is tightened up even more, leaving no note unexpected and placed perfect, and the walking bassline is catchy. Even the bondage-tribute hard-shuffle “Blood, Sex And Booze” is a fun, bouncy track. But then something goes wrong. On “Castaway” and “Minority,” the band seem to have plum forgot everything that made them great. Gone are the inventive melodies and thoughtful riffs in lieu of too many choruses and trite radio-rock chords, not to mention that both songs seem silly in blindly praising alienation for a band who have already established themselves as a top of the pops mainstream rock ’n’ roll band. Out of place, then, is the gypsy-folk “Misery.” While the song embraces it’s mariachi shift towards the end and showcases the band’s continual branching out, on an album of simple rock songs it feels out of place. Thankfully, we get the matured 70s riffing of “Church On A Sunday,” which sees the aging band addressing growing up with the most consideration they’ve ever given, or the 60s pop of “Waiting.” In order to clean the palate of some of the band’s most uninspired tracks, Green Day smartly ended the album with a continued tradition: an extremely poignant and heartfelt acoustic ballad. “Macy’s Day Parade” shows the band’s true soul again, showcases their ability to take a few chords and turn them into a passionate song capable of reaching past any genre boundaries.

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