Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So! - Out Friday

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Slave To The Network said:

I don't know how others feel, but The Stranger to me is like this album's Right Hand-A-Rama and I love it.

YESSS!!!!!!

[The Grohl]

Didn't have time for a review, but I did a brief write up of Money Money 2020 Part 2 for my year end list:

Album No One Expected Even Though We Were Warned:

Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So! – The Network

The Network would be my favorite Green Day side project if they were the one’s behind it. But they’re not, so we don’t need to question it. The Network tried to warn us of the prophecy, but we didn’t listen. In a move no one could predict, the mysterious masked men returned this year. When you think about it, it makes sense. It’s in their 2003 album’s name: Money Money 2020. Clearly, they were telling us the year of their return. Still, I wasn’t expecting this.

Filled with their offbeat humor, conspiracy theories, references to COVID, and time travel it’s a wonderfully weird album. Anything goes here. Songs insulting Round Earthers and asphyxia dependency? Yup. Fast and furious punk songs that are ripped from a Green Day album? Sure. Oddly seductive tracks about drugs and why Ivankkka is a Nazi? Why not? Instead of sticking with their new wave style, The Network (who aren’t Green Day) expand their sound for a diverse record. “Degenerate” is the funky, seductive anthem Green Day wanted “Father of All” to be and “Jerry Falwell’s Pool Party” has a slinky groove with a killer swagger. It also has a play on Green Day’s “Kill the DJ” lyrics. Guess they really do hate them. “The Art Of the Deal With the Devil” is sexier than it has any right to be. With Fink’s breathy singing and the song’s mellowed, hushed tones it’s an album highlight. Still, their new wave, synth sound isn’t abandoned. That classic Network vibe is what drives songs like “The Stranger,” “Time Capsule,” and “Heard Immunity.”  

Of course, with 25 songs, there’s bound to be filler. “Amnesia Vagabond” and “Hey Elon” are fine but don’t stand on their own outside the album. “That’s How They Get You” is the biggest disappointment. Three minutes of a looping electronic beat and awful autotune. But at least these songs don’t make the album drag. Oddly enough, a lot of the songs have the same issue as Father of All Motherfuckers: they’re too short. “Fentanyl” and “Carolina’s Ultimate Netflix Tweet” ends abruptly just as the songs are hitting that sweet spot. “Pizzagate” never really gets the chance to start clocking in at 47 seconds and “Theory of Reality” leaves you unsatisfied. Despite this, Money Money 2020 Part II is a blast. It’s a strange album for a strange year. Some songs make you laugh, others make you mosh, and some may even turn you on. It’s a good time all around. You can tell the boys really had fun making it. With an album this strong Green Day should watch out. The Network are coming for their rock n roll throne.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[Little Boy Named Booze]

18 minutes ago, The Grohl said:

“That’s How They Get You” is the biggest disappointment. Three minutes of a looping electronic beat

Just like Popper Punk but everybody love this song.

[The Grohl]

4 minutes ago, Little Boy Named Booze said:

Just like Popper Punk but everybody love this song.

I understand why you'd say that, but to me, Popper Punk does more musically. The song changes form and progresses over time. THTGY just does nothing. It's the same thing looped. I'm waiting for something to happen in that song, yet it never comes. 

[Little Boy Named Booze]

4 minutes ago, The Grohl said:

I understand why you'd say that, but to me, Popper Punk does more musically. The song changes form and progresses over time. THTGY just does nothing. It's the same thing looped. I'm waiting for something to happen in that song, yet it never comes. 

Yeah I wasn't talking about your music taste because it's different for each one of us. 
But what I hate about a song is in Popper Punk and THTGY.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Little Boy Named Booze said:

Just like Popper Punk but everybody love this song.

I wouldn't say I "love" Popper Punk--there many much better songs on this album--but I think it is sexy enough to get away with the repetitiveness, whereas That's How They Get You is kinda annoying. Also, you can't understand any of the lyrics in it beyond "that's how they get you."

32 minutes ago, The Grohl said:

Didn't have time for a review, but I did a brief write up of Money Money 2020 Part 2 for my year end list:

Album No One Expected Even Though We Were Warned:

Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So! – The Network

The Network would be my favorite Green Day side project if they were the one’s behind it. But they’re not, so we don’t need to question it. The Network tried to warn us of the prophecy, but we didn’t listen. In a move no one could predict, the mysterious masked men returned this year. When you think about it, it makes sense. It’s in their 2003 album’s name: Money Money 2020. Clearly, they were telling us the year of their return. Still, I wasn’t expecting this.

Filled with their offbeat humor, conspiracy theories, references to COVID, and time travel it’s a wonderfully weird album. Anything goes here. Songs insulting Round Earthers and asphyxia dependency? Yup. Fast and furious punk songs that are ripped from a Green Day album? Sure. Oddly seductive tracks about drugs and why Ivankkka is a Nazi? Why not? Instead of sticking with their new wave style, The Network (who aren’t Green Day) expand their sound for a diverse record. “Degenerate” is the funky, seductive anthem Green Day wanted “Father of All” to be and “Jerry Falwell’s Pool Party” has a slinky groove with a killer swagger. It also has a play on Green Day’s “Kill the DJ” lyrics. Guess they really do hate them. “The Art Of the Deal With the Devil” is sexier than it has any right to be. With Fink’s breathy singing and the song’s mellowed, hushed tones it’s an album highlight. Still, their new wave, synth sound isn’t abandoned. That classic Network vibe is what drives songs like “The Stranger,” “Time Capsule,” and “Heard Immunity.”  

Of course, with 25 songs, there’s bound to be filler. “Amnesia Vagabond” and “Hey Elon” are fine but don’t stand on their own outside the album. “That’s How They Get You” is the biggest disappointment. Three minutes of a looping electronic beat and awful autotune. But at least these songs don’t make the album drag. Oddly enough, a lot of the songs have the same issue as Father of All Motherfuckers: they’re too short. “Fentanyl” and “Carolina’s Ultimate Netflix Tweet” ends abruptly just as the songs are hitting that sweet spot. “Pizzagate” never really gets the chance to start clocking in at 47 seconds and “Theory of Reality” leaves you unsatisfied. Despite this, Money Money 2020 Part II is a blast. It’s a strange album for a strange year. Some songs make you laugh, others make you mosh, and some may even turn you on. It’s a good time all around. You can tell the boys really had fun making it. With an album this strong Green Day should watch out. The Network are coming for their rock n roll throne.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

I like this take. I also like that there are songs here that you can tell were written for FOAM, like "Art of the Deal with the Devil." (Billie of course talked about putting a song by that name on FOAM, and then I was disappointed when it wasn't on FOAM.) It's better than a number of the songs on FOAM, and I feel like it really would have added to that album.

[Hermione]

I like Popper Punk AND That's How They Get You, beat that!

Popper Punk is better but I think That's How They Get You is also cool and funny in how unexpected it is. I just like their audacity to make a dance track with auto tune vocals. Especially coming right after Respirator and Squatter, it's like how much more ridiculous can this get?   Even if they're not my favourites I love that the extra weird and random tracks are there taking the album's variety and extremes to another level. 

9 minutes ago, BillieMyLove said:

 whereas That's How They Get You is kinda annoying. Also, you can't understand any of the lyrics in it beyond "that's how they get you."

I think they're close to flat out trolling with That's How They Get You lol, it's probably deliberate. But it has a catchy beat as well as being amusing so I don't mind.

[The Grohl]

6 minutes ago, Little Boy Named Booze said:

Yeah I wasn't talking about your music taste because it's different for each one of us. 
But what I hate about a song is in Popper Punk and THTGY.

No I didn't think you were talking about my tastes. I was just saying how I differentiated the two because I think you brought up a fair point about both songs. In that way they're very similar and I understand why they would be disliked. But I dunno! I think Popper Punk is cool

 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Hermione said:

 

I think they're close to flat out trolling with That's How They Get You lol, it's probably deliberate. But it has a catchy beat as well as being amusing so I don't mind.

I agree with that. I think they are kinda mocking online trolls in this one, much like they mock the flat-earthers in Flat Earth.

[The Grohl]

If THTGY were shorter, I wouldn't mind so much. It's annoying that a song like that is 2 minutes (I think) while Pizzagate is 47 seconds!!! 

[localinsomniac]

I haven't been able to get Theory of Reality out of my head for a solid week. Such a classic GD jamwich.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, localinsomniac said:

I haven't been able to get Theory of Reality out of my head for a solid week. Such a classic GD jamwich.

Hi I don't believe we have met. I read your location as "Massachusetts" at first and got excited for a second thinking I met a fellow New Englander and then I realized I had gotten that grievously wrong and now I don't know what to say LOL.

[The Grohl]

3 minutes ago, localinsomniac said:

I haven't been able to get Theory of Reality out of my head for a solid week. Such a classic GD jamwich.

Jamwich....I like this

[localinsomniac]

On 12/21/2020 at 12:12 PM, BillieMyLove said:

Hi I don't believe we have met. I read your location as "Massachusetts" at first and got excited for a second thinking I met a fellow New Englander and then I realized I had gotten that grievously wrong and now I don't know what to say LOL.

No I'm sure we have not. I AM a New Englander however, living in or just south of Boston all my 37 years!

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, localinsomniac said:

No I'm sure we have not. I AM a New Englander however, living in or just south of Boston all my 37 years!

Oh awesome! I have lots of friends from the Boston area. Boston is the bomb.

[localinsomniac]

22 minutes ago, BillieMyLove said:

Oh awesome! I have lots of friends from the Boston area. Boston is the bomb.

Marathon joke?

I kid. Where you from?

As I type this, the damn song is still worming through my brainholes

[Guest]

Just now, localinsomniac said:

Marathon joke?

I kid. Where you from?

As I type this, the damn song is still worming through my brainholes

No, that was definitely not a marathon joke LOL. I now just realized how awful that sounded. I am from Vermont. I have a lot of friends from eastern Mass: Woburn, Norwell, Middleboro, the Cape, etc. I went to college with a lot of people from Mass.

[pacejunkie punk]

They seem to be done with The Network stuff on the socials and that’s sad. Seems too quick, I was hoping for maybe some mainstream promotion and more of a push with the merch. This was such an underground release but the album is too good

[Hungry Hungry Supermodels]

On 12/21/2020 at 10:17 AM, The Grohl said:

 

 

 “That’s How They Get You” is the biggest disappointment. Three minutes of a looping electronic beat and awful autotune. 

 

That's exactly why that song is amazing. It's perfection. It's so terrible that it's amazing. That song is a masterpiece.

 

On 12/21/2020 at 10:36 AM, Little Boy Named Booze said:

Just like Popper Punk but everybody love this song.

Popper Punk is just bad.

It sounds like FOAMF having rough sex with a drunk Warning.

The vocals are annoying, not enough synth for it to be redeemable, that accent is frustrating...

And it goes on forever.

 I'm sure that Satan uses that song to torture his victims in hell. 

[AlissaGoesRAWR]

1 hour ago, localinsomniac said:

 

1 hour ago, BillieMyLove said:

 

Just a friendly reminder that if your conversation is heading off-topic from the Network, you can always take it to a PM. Thanks! 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, AlissaGoesRAWR said:

Just a friendly reminder that if your conversation is heading off-topic from the Network, you can always take it to a PM. Thanks! 

Yes, this was going to be my next suggestion.   But alas the convo seems to have died anyway.  

[localinsomniac]

3 hours ago, AlissaGoesRAWR said:

Just a friendly reminder that if your conversation is heading off-topic from the Network, you can always take it to a PM. Thanks! 

Apologies, though I did try and steer back on topic in my last post!

After a few listens of the album in full, I give it a solid B. There's a decent amount of filler, mostly Snoo's (snooze?) stuff. Heard Immunity, THTGY, Stranger all do very little for me. That said, I'm glad they were all so deeply involved in the writing and seemingly had a ton of fun with the project.

So many tracks stood out, though- Theory, Digital Black, Time Capsule, Fentanyl, Degenerate, Cancer, Ivankkka, TLM, JFPP all could be condensed to a tight 10 with the Prophecy. But I'm happy they decided to do this. And not just do it but to let loose and expand it as they did. It's a really fun listen when you're in the right mood.

[Slave To The Network]

Okay, I'm having second thoughts about CITNB now. When I first heard it, I definitely thought it was Mike singing the parts that were not obviously Billie, but when I saw people speculating that Billie sings the whole thing, I listened to it again and it sounded more like him than Mike. Almost sounds like Billie trying to sound like Mike just to fuck with us. All I know is that the track title is definitely Mike and sounds very different from the rest of the song that could be either Billie or Mike.

I don't know what to believe anymore. Good song, though!

[The Grohl]

I always thought Billie was singing the whole thing 🤷‍♀️

[Slave To The Network]

He's making his voice weird, though. Very Mike-ish imo. Except for the parts that are obviously his classic sound.