music
Green Day – Revolution Radio What’s the story?
Revolution Radio is the twelfth album from the iconic punk trio, and their first in four years after a brief hiatus. After releasing a bloated and ill-advised trilogy of albums in 2012, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong spent a stint in rehab while the band took a break. Armstrong has stated that the whole album is meant to reflect the current state of violence in the US.
Worth a listen?
What a difference some time out and a refresh can make. Revolution Radio is a fantastic 45-minute slice of punk rock that sounds like the result of putting their two classic albums Dookie and American Idiot in a blender. Mike Dirnt’s bass lines crunch and Tre Cool’s drums pound with renewed energy, while Armstrong goes through his entire repertoire. From youthful angst, to punkish snarl, to acoustic melancholy, there’s a scattering of styles that reveals new layers upon every listen. Standout single Bang Bang is a lightning-fast study of a mass murderer’s psyche, while seven-minute epic Forever Now harks back to the band’s flair for operatic bombast.
Verdict: A brilliant return from the punk icons.
Shorts
Sum 41 – 13 Voices The theme of death looms large on Sum 41’s sixth album, coming two years after frontman Deryck Whibley nearly died from liver and kidney failure. Emerging from an induced coma, he not only had to relearn how to walk, but he also had to train his hands to play guitar again. He described the process as a fall and a rise, which is documented on this bleak and intense record. The levity found on their early releases has mostly been scrubbed, but this still features the classic Sum 41 metalmeets-hardcore punk. Taking into account Whibley’s dramatic and life-altering experiences, the hits land harder than ever, resulting in Sum 41’s most honest and sincere album yet. 116 November 2016
Placebo – A Place for Us to Dream This compilation album celebrates the 20th anniversary of the nihilistic English alt-rock veterans. The album opens with the band’s propulsive 1998 hit Pure Morning, the perfect distillation of Placebo’s brand of goth and Brit-pop-tinged glam rock. Placebo has always been a solid singles band, and A Place for Us to Dream delivers the kind of easy, bullet-point retrospective that newbies and casual fans can get behind. Long-time listeners will already have these songs, but with the nice mix of radio and album edits, there’s plenty here for even the most ardent Placebo follower to sink their teeth into.
Norah Jones – Day Breaks Norah Jones took liberty with her blockbuster success to set out on a musical walkabout, spending a good portion of the last decade experimenting, either on her own albums or on a variety of collaborations. Day Breaks finds Jones returning home to an extent: it, like her 2002 debut Come Away with Me, is a singersongwriter album with roots in pop and jazz, divided between originals and sharply selected covers. Such a sense of quiet adventure gives the record depth, but what gives it resonance are the exquisitely sculpted songs. Jones’ originals feel as elegant as time-honoured standards, and all her covers feel fresh.
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