21st century blah

Because I bought American Idiot and basically enjoyed it, and because I'm curious, I'm previewing Green Day's latest album 21st Century Breakdown on VH1's website.

I'm not impressed. It sounds like much of what they've done before. It's the same "punk band has grand ambitions" stuff they did on their last album. The riffs sound familiar, and most of the melodies do too. It's not a significant improvement on American Idiot.

So what songs are actually good? "East Jesus Nowhere" has potential, as does "?Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)," which has a cabaret-style sound. That's different, at least. "Horseshoes and Handgrenades" has some good crunchy riffs.

I think I'm just not liking what Green Day is selling. I've fallen out of love with American Idiot over the years. I'm getting tired of their ballad-type songs. Where's the fire? Even the songs with fire don't have the same fire anymore. Don't get me wrong, the melodies are pretty and the guitars crunch like guitars should. But it just isn't enough for me.