What do you want their next album to sound like?

[DookieLukie]

They were tight on the RevRad tour. I think the band is approaching things much more casually now. Not taking anything seriously or trying that hard.

[Thatsername]

On 6/18/2020 at 4:49 PM, DookieLukie said:

Whenever they do these "party" records, it just comes across as so fake and uninspiring. Like they're trying to be who they're not. Except for FBHT because that record is insanely good, but it was heavily tongue in cheek (which they're good at) and had deep messages behind the glitz and glam.

I couldn't agree with this more. The announcement of FOAM as a party and fuck you-record made me cringe and I thought: Oh no, not again. Bad trilogy flashback. FOAM turned out better than I expected though, mainly because I don't think it's a party record at all, it's actually very deep and depressing in most parts. I like it (except for the first two singles which I still hate with every fibre of my being), but I don't really need another GD record like this. Been there, done that. Twice actually.

I still don't get why they keep coming back to the party-fuck-it-all-attitude, it's just SO not them, it always feels wrong. They are deeper and more poetic than that, even if they don't want to admit it. I've always loved a Who'esque Green Day most, and I would love another sophisticated project like a rock opera. The world is so fucked up, we would need their strong voice more than ever. Party is over.

[Beerjeezus]

^ I had a similar thought today when I randomly heard Somewhere Now. Reflexive and mature Green Day >>>>> pArTy rEcOrD

[Virtuous Xman]

On 6/8/2020 at 6:14 AM, DookieLukie said:

Something harder like Insomniac or something more intricate and detailed like 21CB.

CO-SIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Beerjeezus]

I was thinking a bit about what I've said here a couple hours ago and I need to correct myself: when we say the party records feel immature and unnatural, it's not really about the records that we complain about, but the way they're marketed. I don't think the writing itself is insincere. I fully agree with @Thatsername that FOAM is a dark record that's far from carefree and party (and same goes for a big part of the Trilogy). These albums are about being self-destructive and that's a part of Billie's experience that he's writing about. It's not a reflexive kind of writing, I guess that might not even be possible under the circumstances (he's said before that he used to write about characters and didn't consciously think about himself, even though the songs were autobiographical and this might be a similar situation), but that doesn't mean it's fake (even though it does feel like a step back after revrad). I believe FOAM would get a better reception (at least from us), if it was presented as this dark record about depression/falling back into bad habits etc., than using this "party" narrative that the band themselves weren't convincing about. I get that it's easier to say (and it doesn't get as personal) plus I guess the marketing dept. thinks it's also catchier to present it as this party thing, but it will never work, because it's not true. Imagine they tried to pretend Insomniac was a happy record - the album would be no worse, but it'd seem fake.

[Duhhan1023]

A mature record, along the lines of Bruce Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac. They  longer appeal to teens so might as well act their age and gain respect as an upcoming legacy act..

[jollyroger]

I agree with the hating the whole party theme and also with foam being pretty dark. I honestly love the album way more than I thought I would though but I think Billie kinda needs to accept his age and get more down to earth with himself before we get a record of real substance again. And I really hope that happens before the next record. Honestly I think the longshot was a step in the right direction as it felt pretty personal and true. Foam doesnt as much but I really did end up loving it even though I didnt expect too. Billies in some weird rut where he just doesnt wanna grow up I think. Correct me if anyone disagrees and I'd like to hear your opinion on it as well.

[Beerjeezus]

5 hours ago, jollyroger said:

I agree with the hating the whole party theme and also with foam being pretty dark. I honestly love the album way more than I thought I would though but I think Billie kinda needs to accept his age and get more down to earth with himself before we get a record of real substance again. And I really hope that happens before the next record. Honestly I think the longshot was a step in the right direction as it felt pretty personal and true. Foam doesnt as much but I really did end up loving it even though I didnt expect too. Billies in some weird rut where he just doesnt wanna grow up I think. Correct me if anyone disagrees and I'd like to hear your opinion on it as well.

If I’m to guess, it’s the substance abuse/mental health problems. Once in a while he goes into this “you know what, fuck everything” mood and here comes the party record.

[Christian's Inferno!]

I don't think FOAM is a bad album but there's certainly bad tracks on there and there's a world of a difference between FOAM and their best albums like AI, 21CB and Dookie. I also want them to move away from the "party album" stuff. If they went further in the direction of RevRad but fleshed it out a bit more, had more inspired political writing like in AI or 21CB rather than generic political songs. In 2020, the political landscape is so much different than it's ever been. There's so much potential there to write about. A song like Graffitia which really is the only sort of political track on FOAM seems really relevant now with the police brutality going on, and it's also the best song on the album.

I'm not expecting some masterpiece for their next album, but I just want it to be significantly better than FOAM

[Redundantuserjinxboy]

See maybe I'm just overly cynical but I DON'T want green day to try being overly serious, mature, profound, or sophisticated because I dont believe they can do something like that anymore.

  I dont think BJA can write lyrics that are any of those these days, I think if he tries that's when shit gets really cringe. I'd rather have him write goofy stupid fun lyrics if it means he's being genuine.

[Beerjeezus]

23 minutes ago, Redundantuserjinxboy said:

See maybe I'm just overly cynical but I DON'T want green day to try being overly serious, mature, profound, or sophisticated because I dont believe they can do something like that anymore.

  I dont think BJA can write lyrics that are any of those these days, I think if he tries that's when shit gets really cringe. I'd rather have him write goofy stupid fun lyrics if it means he's being genuine.

I don’t know, man. What do you think about RevRad? There definitely are cringe moments, but there are also songs that have depth and maturity. Not every song is a lyrical gem, but there’s also a lot of good writing.

[Christian's Inferno!]

FOAM was infinitely more cringey than RevRad

I don't expect them to just do AI or 21CB again. That'd be ridiculous. But I think they were heading somewhere with RevRad, followed by Back in the USA in 2017 and then they just went in a completely different direction. Why?

[Beerjeezus]

8 minutes ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

FOAM was infinitely more cringey than RevRad

I don't expect them to just do AI or 21CB again. That'd be ridiculous. But I think they were heading somewhere with RevRad, followed by Back in the USA in 2017 and then they just went in a completely different direction. Why?

Closest to an explanation that we got was when Billie said he didn’t want to take things so seriously and wanted to have more fun. If FOAM is his idea of fun is a whole other mystery...

[DookieLukie]

I think the Longshot is more in line with where GD should be than RevRad OR FOAM. Longshot had serious lyrics with their 90s tongue-in-cheek attitude and catchy hooks. It was pleasant also also made you think sometimes. RevRad was a bit too heavy, but I think this was just due to Billie's lyrics being repetitive and far too blunt. Troubled Times is an example of a tired topic with a borrowed riff and really said nothing new. Ordinary World was boring and cliche. On the other hand, Too Dumb to Die was a reflective, clever song that was personal and also commented on finding yourself in a chaotic modern world. Bang Bang was an impressive character study of an important topic in the US. FOAM was more vibrant, but had similar lyrical and thematic flaws. Sugar Youth is a cool sound with clever, fun lyrics. The title track also had some lyrics that fit well with the theme of the song. But a lot of songs were ruined by cliche lyrics, such as the forced bad-assery of Take the Money and Crawl, or cliche chorus of Graffitia (despite it being overall a good song). 

GD has always had a way of making serious topics fun. Their 90s songs take a ton of dark topics and make them digestible, and their commentary was genuine and human. Longshot showed BIllie is still capable of this. I think the "Green Day" brand is just too heavy for these guys and they psyche themselves out. Their side projects, where the stakes are low, have been better than their GD releases. 

[Redundantuserjinxboy]

1 hour ago, Beerjeezus said:

I don’t know, man. What do you think about RevRad? There definitely are cringe moments, but there are also songs that have depth and maturity. Not every song is a lyrical gem, but there’s also a lot of good writing.

Bang bang and to dumb to die, and forever now/somewhere now to a lesser extent are pretty good lyric wise I'd say. To dumb to die actually being the most personal song he's written in years I feel. I wouldn't mind more songs like that. Genuine lyrics we used to get on the insomniac, nimrod, and warning days.

And I dont care if he gets political. But if you got something to say say it! Dont just give me vague slogans that dont actually mean anything. That just sound ok on paper. You don't have to be poetic, if you wanna say fuck so and so say it. 

[Lenny]

On 7/9/2020 at 4:31 PM, DookieLukie said:

I think the Longshot is more in line with where GD should be than RevRad OR FOAM. Longshot had serious lyrics with their 90s tongue-in-cheek attitude and catchy hooks. It was pleasant also also made you think sometimes. RevRad was a bit too heavy, but I think this was just due to Billie's lyrics being repetitive and far too blunt. Troubled Times is an example of a tired topic with a borrowed riff and really said nothing new. Ordinary World was boring and cliche. On the other hand, Too Dumb to Die was a reflective, clever song that was personal and also commented on finding yourself in a chaotic modern world. Bang Bang was an impressive character study of an important topic in the US. FOAM was more vibrant, but had similar lyrical and thematic flaws. Sugar Youth is a cool sound with clever, fun lyrics. The title track also had some lyrics that fit well with the theme of the song. But a lot of songs were ruined by cliche lyrics, such as the forced bad-assery of Take the Money and Crawl, or cliche chorus of Graffitia (despite it being overall a good song). 

GD has always had a way of making serious topics fun. Their 90s songs take a ton of dark topics and make them digestible, and their commentary was genuine and human. Longshot showed BIllie is still capable of this. I think the "Green Day" brand is just too heavy for these guys and they psyche themselves out. Their side projects, where the stakes are low, have been better than their GD releases. 

Longshot sound would be great but it needs to be cleaned up. Some of those Longshot songs had rough transitions between parts and I just expect more from a Green Day song than that. 

 

[Lenny]

On 7/9/2020 at 4:26 PM, Beerjeezus said:

Closest to an explanation that we got was when Billie said he didn’t want to take things so seriously and wanted to have more fun. If FOAM is his idea of fun is a whole other mystery...

I kinda hate that too. The thing is when Uno dropped I understood why they'd go in that direction. AI and 21cb were draining for them and they had to step away from that at the time. 

The trilogy is already so far in the past. I just feel like they need to bring Jeff Lynne on as a producer and make a real good record of well written songs. Butch Walker doesn't cut it for GD's level. 

[Flashback]

Looks like I‘m the only one who doesn‘t prefer the Longshot songs over FOAM 😅