Revolution Radio could serve as a career overview for the few remaining people on earth who’ve never heard Green Day. If you fancied the operatic bloat of the trio’s 21st Century Breakdown period, you’ll love punk power ballads “Something New” and “Outlaws.” Similarly, expect the seven-minute “Forever Now” to be optioned for a Broadway play within a week of album release. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the breakneck “Bang Bang” could be a mid-’90s Insomniac outtake. Or maybe Nimrod is your bag, in which case you’ll appreciate when acoustic lullaby “Ordinary World” finally unseats “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” as the sappy go-to graduation song next May. Don’t get me wrong; there are some great songs here, albeit in need of some 40-grit sandpaper to strip off the sheen. Perhaps both the best and worst you can say about Revolution Radio is that it sounds exactly like Green Day.
—Matt Ryan
