21st Century Breakdown

Rock · 2009 · 17 tracks · 1h 9m

21st Century Breakdown

A sprawling, three-act rock opera defined by massive Butch Vig production. High-stakes stadium punk that trades bratty angst for cinematic, political grandiosity.

April 2009 · Reprise Records

A maximalist, stadium-sized theatricality sweeps through this sprawling rock opera, trading the raw punch of their past for a dense, piano-laced wall of sound. The production layers soaring vocal harmonies and grand arrangements over distorted power chords, shaping a landscape of politically motivated anger and media-saturated alienation.

Tracklist · 17 Tracks · 1h 9m

01

Song of the Century

0:58

03

Know Your Enemy

3:11

04

¡Viva la Gloria!

3:31

05

Before the Lobotomy

4:37

06

Christian’s Inferno

3:07

07

Last Night on Earth

3:57

08

East Jesus Nowhere

4:35

09

Peacemaker

3:24

10

Last of the American Girls

3:51

11

Murder City

2:54

12

¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)

3:48

13

Restless Heart Syndrome

4:21

14

Horseshoes and Handgrenades

3:14

15

The Static Age

4:17

16

21 Guns

5:22

17

American Eulogy: Mass Hysteria / Modern World

4:26

18

See the Light

4:36

Moments Worth Listening For

12¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)The band introduces a prominent, dramatic grand piano to lead the melody on '¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)', shifting away from their traditional guitar-driven foundation.

1621 GunsProducer Butch Vig crafts a highly polished, multi-layered vocal arrangement on '21 Guns' to maximize its slow-building, anthemic scale.

Reviews

AllMusic

BBC Music

Where This Album Departs

How does 21st Century Breakdown sound next to the rest of Green Day's catalogue?

Maximalist+4.0σ

The production is built around maximalist than this artist usually allows.

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