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4 minutes ago, Matt. said:

I was browsing ASCAP this afternoon and came across "Still Breathing". What's of note is that the band had help writing the song from Red Triangle Productions, a songwriting and production team. 

Yes, it was one riff that they borrowed from The Struts, Could Have Been Me.   

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  • 5 months later...

Almost 10 months in, plenty of time for new release hype to subside and to gather thoughts on the merits or demerits of RR and where it falls in discography. 

Compared with the large amount of quality releases from veteran rock and metal bands 2016 and 2017 I think RR does quite well. Its not exceptional, very few albums are (Manic Street Preachers Futurology prob last I felt was truly great; 2014), but it is a good album with some very high points. Against previous GD albums I would definitely place it in the top third. 

Troubled Times, Still Breathing, Somewhere Now and Forever now absolute highlights for me and among the top tier of GD songs. Fun and very catchy stuff like BOTW and Young Blood are highlights also simply for their great pop melodies.

Lyrically the album does the personal very well, Still Breathing a wonderful example, but the political is very naive. There is nothing political in the generic generalisms of Sat Goodbye, Troubled Times or the buzz word collection on title track and Bang Bang that are vague and pretty juvenile if they really consider themselves political songs. Black Flag, early 80s hardcore, Billy Brag, the Specials, the visceral Holy Bible album - these are political in that they have thought provoking and sometimes very hard hitting lyrics; GD are doing politics is a pretension, theres absolutely nothing wrong in that and for a mass commercial band even oblique, albeit naive, songs referencing culture is a welcome change from normal commercial lyrical pursuits. 

I love Troubled Times; musically atmospheric , great hooks and one of the best chorus's; the lyrics are not political, they say we live in troubled times, which we do, but if these generalisations without much substance are considered political, then lyrical standards are very low. Im not seeking great political insights from GD; Troubled Times paints a vague lyrical picture but the simple lyric matches the pop melody and the song is a highlight. The melody is just so strong; atmospheric and magic. 

I would love if GD were a hard hitting act penning genuine thought provoking political lyrics but they're not, I do think they pen excellent personal lyrics and I do appreciate the cultural commentary even at a basic level. Oblique and genera l cultural references are valid for the commercial medium they operate in, and when married to huge, memorable hooks and melodies, these do a great album make. 

RR is better than the trilogy as at least four of the songs are excellent, with definite highlights among the others and no sub par tracks (I do think the trilogy is underrated though, some serious quality there among the filler). A fine blast of rock'n'roll and 10 months in still has repeat value.

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5 hours ago, IrelandCalling said:

Almost 10 months in, plenty of time for new release hype to subside and to gather thoughts on the merits or demerits of RR and where it falls in discography. 

Compared with the large amount of quality releases from veteran rock and metal bands 2016 and 2017 I think RR does quite well. Its not exceptional, very few albums are (Manic Street Preachers Futurology prob last I felt was truly great; 2014), but it is a good album with some very high points. Against previous GD albums I would definitely place it in the top third. 

Troubled Times, Still Breathing, Somewhere Now and Forever now absolute highlights for me and among the top tier of GD songs. Fun and very catchy stuff like BOTW and Young Blood are highlights also simply for their great pop melodies.

Lyrically the album does the personal very well, Still Breathing a wonderful example, but the political is very naive. There is nothing political in the generic generalisms of Sat Goodbye, Troubled Times or the buzz word collection on title track and Bang Bang that are vague and pretty juvenile if they really consider themselves political songs. Black Flag, early 80s hardcore, Billy Brag, the Specials, the visceral Holy Bible album - these are political in that they have thought provoking and sometimes very hard hitting lyrics; GD are doing politics is a pretension, theres absolutely nothing wrong in that and for a mass commercial band even oblique, albeit naive, songs referencing culture is a welcome change from normal commercial lyrical pursuits. 

I love Troubled Times; musically atmospheric , great hooks and one of the best chorus's; the lyrics are not political, they say we live in troubled times, which we do, but if these generalisations without much substance are considered political, then lyrical standards are very low. Im not seeking great political insights from GD; Troubled Times paints a vague lyrical picture but the simple lyric matches the pop melody and the song is a highlight. The melody is just so strong; atmospheric and magic. 

I would love if GD were a hard hitting act penning genuine thought provoking political lyrics but they're not, I do think they pen excellent personal lyrics and I do appreciate the cultural commentary even at a basic level. Oblique and genera l cultural references are valid for the commercial medium they operate in, and when married to huge, memorable hooks and melodies, these do a great album make. 

RR is better than the trilogy as at least four of the songs are excellent, with definite highlights among the others and no sub par tracks (I do think the trilogy is underrated though, some serious quality there among the filler). A fine blast of rock'n'roll and 10 months in still has repeat value.

I couldn't agree more with you, top 3 for me too !

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On December 20, 2016 at 3:01 PM, bouncingoffthewallbja said:

Personally, I feel that RevRad is one of those records that keeps getting better each time I listen to it. Like I mentioned a few pages back, it's full of angst and emotion, which I believe to be the catalyst fuelling and driving the album. Every time I listen to it again, I constantly find new little nuances and things I notice that I just love, and I take time to appreciate the reason that they may be there. There's so many different things going on here that there is bound to be a song that most people can relate to and enjoy! My personal favourites are Say Goodbye, BOTW, Still Breathing, Troubled Times and Forever Now, because of all the angst, the energy, the emotion. Each one of these songs (and every one on RevRad, for that matter :P) makes me feel something inside and makes me stop what I'm doing and reflect, basically just on life in general and appreciating all that's good in life, even amongst the things that aren't so great. I feel that RevRad resonates with something in me and makes me want to speak out for what I believe in and letting myself be heard, no matter what the majority thinks.

*goes off to play Minority* :lol:

I agree with you..I have re-listen to the new album and it does get better.

my fav song now: Forever now and especially when it is playing live..powerful, Trouble times,Say goodbye ( wish the boys plat is live some day, SB, bang,bang

And still my least fav track: YB,outlaw,toodumbtodie

,

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I love TDTD.  Really I love the whole album but my least favorite songs are Oulaws, Say Goodbye and OW. The rest I flat out love.

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I think AI will always be my favourite, but RevRad is definitely in my top 4, it speaks to me on a level hardly any record ever did. Yeah, it doesn't have the political and social ambition and depth of AI or 21CB, but it doesn't need that; RevRad has something deeply personal and honest that hit me really hard and still does.

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In hindsight, I will put RevRad on the same level as Nimrod, Warning and Kerplunk in terms of significance for me. It stands below the top level comprising Dookie, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown since these records were in various ways their creative apex. Somewhere Now and Forever Now have remained my favorites off the record after 11 months. Particularly the latter has aged very well for me and I can still listen to it every day. 

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If you took the 12 best songs from the trilogy, you'd have a far superior album to RR.

RR is a decent album, but it is in the lower tier of Green Day's catalog.

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