Saviors - Album Discussion

[GDFan2019]

24 minutes ago, Lauren said:

I’d like to make the argument that Saviors is better than American Idiot because we can actually hear the bass lines for the first time since Warning.

 

I remember someone back in the day saying, “Where have all the bastards gone? More like where have all the basslines gone!”

Don’t forget the epic bass solo in Dirty Rotten Bastards from ¡TRÉ!

[Christian's Inferno!]

43 minutes ago, Lauren said:

I’d like to make the argument that Saviors is better than American Idiot because we can actually hear the bass lines for the first time since Warning.

 

I remember someone back in the day saying, “Where have all the bastards gone? More like where have all the basslines gone!”

Except the trilogy had a ton of great basslines. 

Really, I'm not hearing that much more from the basslines on Saviors than we've gotten since American Idiot. Like, yeah it is better but it still has nowhere near the best basslines on a Green Day album. It's more in the mix than it's been since Warning but the actual basslines don't seem all that better than the basslines we've been getting since then. The bass just has certain moments to shine generally from AI onwards rather than being an integral part of the entire songs like it tends to be pre-AI. Maybe I am understating Mike's work a bit on Saviors, I've not really been paying much attention to the basslines specifically, more just the overall package but I don't think it's in his top 5 performances on an album.

I think the criticism Mike gets post Warning is a little overstated by some people. Like you can absolutely hear the bass all throughout those albums, it's just generally a lot more simple the vast majority of the time

[Stefano Bras]

Is it me or Father to a Son sounds slightly more quiet than the rest of the songs? Like the master volume was reduced a bit. 

[Clockwise]

Nah, the bass on this album is absolutely on fire. They let Mike off the leash for an entire album for the first time since the 90's and it's glorious!

[That Dude]

Have you ever used "ballyhoo" in conversation? How about Ogliarch? 

 

[Saviour]

52 minutes ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

Except the trilogy had a ton of great basslines. 

Really, I'm not hearing that much more from the basslines on Saviors than we've gotten since American Idiot. Like, yeah it is better but it still has nowhere near the best basslines on a Green Day album. It's more in the mix than it's been since Warning but the actual basslines don't seem all that better than the basslines we've been getting since then. The bass just has certain moments to shine generally from AI onwards rather than being an integral part of the entire songs like it tends to be pre-AI. Maybe I am understating Mike's work a bit on Saviors, I've not really been paying much attention to the basslines specifically, more just the overall package but I don't think it's in his top 5 performances on an album.

I think the criticism Mike gets post Warning is a little overstated by some people. Like you can absolutely hear the bass all throughout those albums, it's just generally a lot more simple the vast majority of the time

This. 

He really hasn't changed his style at all since probably Nimrod IMO. He has a very specific role in the band and they rarely deviate from that. 

As a famous rock bassist, Mike is fine - but GD are a power trio. He doesn't need to be a virtuoso. His basslines work just as well as they do on any album, but let's not pretend he's revolutionized his performances on this album. They're just unusually prominent in the mix for a post-AI GD release.

[The 99th revolution]

16 minutes ago, That Dude said:

Have you ever used "ballyhoo" in conversation? How about Ogliarch? 

 

How about 'loon(e)y (tunes)'?

[legendary]

Where's the promotion for this álbum? After the release date nothing happened, just some random Interviews and nothing more. 

Weird. 

[That Dude]

17 minutes ago, legendary said:

Where's the promotion for this álbum? After the release date nothing happened, just some random Interviews and nothing more. 

Weird. 

Desd silence for four months when the tour starts?  That would be rough.    I want a singles fest, a dump if you will.   Goodnight Adeline, 1981, just keep them coming and see how they do.  

[Christian's Inferno!]

On 1/30/2024 at 7:20 PM, Christian's Inferno! said:

The American Dream Is Killing Me - 10,542,863 (+96k)
Look Ma, No Brains! - 6,584,752 (+86k)
Bobby Sox - 3,171,750 (+122k)
One Eyed Bastard - 5,387,439 (+128k)
Dilemma - 7,160,648 (+125k)
1981 - 1,673,507 (+77k)
Goodnight Adeline - 1,550,904 (+68k)
Coma City - 1,341,128 (+53k)
Corvette Summer - 1,356,449 (+56k)
Suzie Chapstick - 1,380,228 (+65k)
Strange Days Are Here to Stay - 1,283,273 (+57k)
Living in the '20s - 1,242,703 (+57k)
Father to a Son - 1,070,508 (+43k)
Saviors - 1,048,289 (+44k)
Fancy Sauce - 1,015,049 (+45k)

TOTAL - 45,809,490 (+1,123,874)

An increase compared to yesterday. All tracks are now above the 1 million point though the last 3 tracks are still trailing behind the rest of the tracks

The American Dream Is Killing Me - 10,636,357 (+93k)
Look Ma, No Brains! - 6,667,713 (+83k)
Bobby Sox - 3,291,885 (+120k)
One Eyed Bastard - 5,512,604 (+125k)
Dilemma - 7,284,679 (+124k)
1981 - 1,747,615 (+74k)
Goodnight Adeline - 1,616,020 (+65k)
Coma City - 1,393,489 (+52k)
Corvette Summer - 1,410,518 (+54k)
Suzie Chapstick - 1,441,781 (+62k)
Strange Days Are Here to Stay - 1,337,108 (+54k)
Living in the '20s - 1,297,758 (+55k)
Father to a Son - 1,112,146 (+42k)
Saviors - 1,090,631 (+42k)
Fancy Sauce - 1,055,952 (+41k)

TOTAL - 46,896,256 (+1,086,766)

[That Dude]

3 minutes ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

The American Dream Is Killing Me - 10,636,357 (+93k)
Look Ma, No Brains! - 6,667,713 (+83k)
Bobby Sox - 3,291,885 (+120k)
One Eyed Bastard - 5,512,604 (+125k)
Dilemma - 7,284,679 (+124k)
1981 - 1,747,615 (+74k)
Goodnight Adeline - 1,616,020 (+65k)
Coma City - 1,393,489 (+52k)
Corvette Summer - 1,410,518 (+54k)
Suzie Chapstick - 1,441,781 (+62k)
Strange Days Are Here to Stay - 1,337,108 (+54k)
Living in the '20s - 1,297,758 (+55k)
Father to a Son - 1,112,146 (+42k)
Saviors - 1,090,631 (+42k)
Fancy Sauce - 1,055,952 (+41k)

TOTAL - 46,896,256 (+1,086,766)

I can say with utmost confidence that my song coming out right before Saviors did not hurt their streaming numbers....much. 

😉

[The 99th revolution]

Off topic but I just won a day for the first time, Jan 29 ❤️

[Miko]

3 hours ago, Clockwise said:

Nah, the bass on this album is absolutely on fire. They let Mike off the leash for an entire album for the first time since the 90's and it's glorious!

I am so tired of these claims. Y'all are really sleeping with Trilogy stuff, huh?

[Warszawa]

3 hours ago, The 99th revolution said:

How about 'loon(e)y (tunes)'?

it has nothing to do with looney tunes. Loony bin is just another word for asylum

[legendary]

1 hour ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

The American Dream Is Killing Me - 10,636,357 (+93k)
Look Ma, No Brains! - 6,667,713 (+83k)
Bobby Sox - 3,291,885 (+120k)
One Eyed Bastard - 5,512,604 (+125k)
Dilemma - 7,284,679 (+124k)
1981 - 1,747,615 (+74k)
Goodnight Adeline - 1,616,020 (+65k)
Coma City - 1,393,489 (+52k)
Corvette Summer - 1,410,518 (+54k)
Suzie Chapstick - 1,441,781 (+62k)

Suzie is doing great

[Little Boy Named Booze]

2 hours ago, The 99th revolution said:

Off topic but I just won a day for the first time, Jan 29 ❤️

Best way to win a day is to go in the Fangirls thread and post a picture of Billie Joe almost naked

[ANTI]

20 hours ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

Is it trying to answer the question that Saviors leaves us with? Is it trying to conclude the themes that come up throughout the album? Because I think the title track does that in a perfectly good way. It just seems like such a dark way to end the album. It would be like if 21CB didn't end with See the Light but instead Lights Out was the final track afterwards, and I'm all about dark songs. 21CB is a very dark album but even that album ends on somewhat of a hopeful note

Just to add a little more to the Fancy Sauce discussion, I think it's important take into account the context in which each album came out. With 21CB, the Obama era was just starting out, and it was completely fitting to end such a heavy album for its time on a hopeful and uplifting note. But with Saviors, the future is looking grimmer and grimmer, with climate change, the rise of autocratic leaders, the space race and all the mental health problems that social media brought along.

So while Fancy Sauce is quite a dark song that concludes that yes, there are no saviors, it has a sense of catharsis that's reinforced with the sing-along nature of the chorus. As I hear the song, I feel that I'm not alone, we're all in this madness together. It would be very fitting to end an album with such dark topics on a cynical and bitter note, but instead with this song, I get a weird feeling of relief, like you're looking around in a crowd thinking "you too?"

There's also something quite poignant in the repetition of the line "we all die young someday", which is even highlighted in the last page of the booklet. I think of that line as the understanding that no matter if we live 30 years or 90 years, it's never gonna be enough, I'll always fall short and die too young. As someone living in my late 20s, I worry a lot about not having the time to achieve all my dreams, as I imagine a lot of people do, but I now notice there's peace that comes with the realization that I'll never have enough time and letting go of my expectations, so at the end of the day, it's like saying "fuck it, I'm gonna take what I can get!"

I could go on and on about it, but as I'm writing this down, I'm feeling quite silly for having such strong reactions for a song called Fancy Sauce tbh 😅

[Lenny]

A good friend texted me today to tell me he finally listened to this album in full. He gave it a good review and said it’s reminiscent of the AI and 21cb days. He hasn’t been a fan of their work since 21cb.

This is honestly a true return to form for the band. It’s really delivered for the fans. I think critics even scored it slightly lower than what it actually is. 

[Clockwise]

2 hours ago, Miko said:

I am so tired of these claims. Y'all are really sleeping with Trilogy stuff, huh?

I love the trilogy and there's a few moments where Mike is really allowed to shine, but not as consistently as on this record.

[Christian's Inferno!]

9 minutes ago, Clockwise said:

I love the trilogy and there's a few moments where Mike is really allowed to shine, but not as consistently as on this record.

Well it's a trilogy so of course it's not going to be as "consistent" but there's at least 8 or 9 songs on the trilogy where Mike really stands out on the trilogy and not just because he's louder on the mix but because the basslines are actual pretty great. Off the top of my head: Nuclear Family, Kill the DJ, Makeout Party, Stray Heart, Nightlife, Dirty Rotten Bastards, Missing You all have stand out basslines on the trilogy. The little bass solo on the Baby Eyes demo is also fantastic and I wish that made it onto the studio version. It just sounds so much less interesting when it doesn't open up with that bassline. I pretty much never listen to the studio version of Baby Eyes solely for that reason.

I would absolutely put Mike's work on the trilogy above Saviors and it's not even really close imo

[Lauren]

7 hours ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

Except the trilogy had a ton of great basslines. 

Really, I'm not hearing that much more from the basslines on Saviors than we've gotten since American Idiot. Like, yeah it is better but it still has nowhere near the best basslines on a Green Day album. It's more in the mix than it's been since Warning but the actual basslines don't seem all that better than the basslines we've been getting since then. The bass just has certain moments to shine generally from AI onwards rather than being an integral part of the entire songs like it tends to be pre-AI. Maybe I am understating Mike's work a bit on Saviors, I've not really been paying much attention to the basslines specifically, more just the overall package but I don't think it's in his top 5 performances on an album.

I think the criticism Mike gets post Warning is a little overstated by some people. Like you can absolutely hear the bass all throughout those albums, it's just generally a lot more simple the vast majority of the time

The bass wasn’t taking as much of a priority in the mix post-Warning. Not insulting his playing at all. Of course there became a lot more instruments to compete with. He no longer plays “lead bass” like when they were only a trio, but I do notice the bass standing out more than it’s been lately *aside* from solos. Obviously a bass solo you’re gonna hear the bass really well, but I don’t know I just think this album is mixed really well because the bass feels more expressive than AI, while still feeling very big (unlike the trilogy which, while I enjoyed it, felt more like a record my friends made in their bedroom than the stadium rock band the band has become — but again, I like both — oddly enough I find 21st CB to be the worst produced album). 

26 minutes ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

Well it's a trilogy so of course it's not going to be as "consistent" but there's at least 8 or 9 songs on the trilogy where Mike really stands out on the trilogy and not just because he's louder on the mix but because the basslines are actual pretty great. Off the top of my head: Nuclear Family, Kill the DJ, Makeout Party, Stray Heart, Nightlife, Dirty Rotten Bastards, Missing You all have stand out basslines on the trilogy. The little bass solo on the Baby Eyes demo is also fantastic and I wish that made it onto the studio version. It just sounds so much less interesting when it doesn't open up with that bassline. I pretty much never listen to the studio version of Baby Eyes solely for that reason.

I would absolutely put Mike's work on the trilogy above Saviors and it's not even really close imo

I’m not trying to say Mike’s playing is better on any one record — just that the mix of Saviors makes me start to feel it’s better than AI. However, I do much prefer the drum sounds of AI … the snare drum in some of these Saviors songs doesn’t feel very snarey to me, if that makes sense. I LOVE the big guitar sound in AI, but I also love Saviors for feeling like the guitars vary a lot more onto song in tone. 

[Clockwise]

1 hour ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

Well it's a trilogy so of course it's not going to be as "consistent" but there's at least 8 or 9 songs on the trilogy where Mike really stands out on the trilogy and not just because he's louder on the mix but because the basslines are actual pretty great. Off the top of my head: Nuclear Family, Kill the DJ, Makeout Party, Stray Heart, Nightlife, Dirty Rotten Bastards, Missing You all have stand out basslines on the trilogy. The little bass solo on the Baby Eyes demo is also fantastic and I wish that made it onto the studio version. It just sounds so much less interesting when it doesn't open up with that bassline. I pretty much never listen to the studio version of Baby Eyes solely for that reason.

I would absolutely put Mike's work on the trilogy above Saviors and it's not even really close imo

Those are all very cool parts! But there's cool bass parts in pretty much every song on Saviors and like @Lauren said, he's playing "lead bass" again on this record like he did in the 90's, which really elevates the record and is an essential element of the "classic Green Day sound." So for me, as much as I love the trilogy, and those moments you pointed out are certainly highlights, Saviors just has Mike doing what he does best in a way the last two records typically don't.

And you're absolutely right about the Baby Eyes demo. Love that intro.

[Cali89]

This was my face the first time I listened to the album the whole way through = . I literally couldn't stop smiling. That right there says a lot 

[Flynn]

After a little over 2 weeks, my signed CD is finally in transit...

[billy1986]

I hope promotion picks up again…long time until now and the tour