American Idiot (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Green Day > Reviews > A good outlet for anger.

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	operatic political rock
Disadvantages:	the message doesn't always get across

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

At the heart of it, what is this album about?
Well, the main line running throughout it is war, corruption and greed. But that's not just the government, it's the people. Those who listen to American Idiot are probably, quite likely (without meaning to cause offence) the people who this album is protesting against.

The best song has to be Jesus of Surburbia based purely on the epic length and opera/punk style it takes on. This creates an overwhelming surge of emotions that are candidly displayed in the lyrics. The use of profanity certainly does help to sell the anger in these songs, but for me on a personal level, it helps to tarnish the other meanings.

Considering the other songs, there is a lot of repetition in style and genre, which further highlights to me that this is not supposed to be about a great ''punk rock'' record. It's more like how Billie Joe feels about the US today, his father death (wake me up when september ends) and self pity (boulevard of broken dreams). What makes this different is the way the message has been put across. It's accessible to everyone. Anyone can understand the meaning behind ''American Idiot''.

Most of the songs will linger with you, they are memorable but I don't think the lyrics do the songs justice, apart from Holiday where you really feel a scorn for far right politics. Apart from that, this album is pretty good but I don't think people are going to start changing their political opinions. But I don't think it necessarily was intended for that, it's for those who are angry to vent frustration, scream out at the system in a way that is intrusive and bold without being too revealing about the seamy underbelly of the political world.