Revolution Radio

GREEN DAY

Reprise Records

I feel badly for this band. After “American Idiot” propelled them to new heights, they followed it up with the even more ornate “21st Century Breakdown.” When that got mixed results, they put out a triple album of back-to-basics garage punk, and people cared even less. Well, this one sounds basically the same. But you know what — there was this album track on “21st Century Breakdown” that always stuck with me. It was called “Peacemaker,” and its production (courtesy Butch Vig) gave it a kind of irony that Billie Joe has lacked for a long while. Someone should have told him it’s possible to be sanctimonious and still be clever. “Revolution Radio” is also pretty moralistic, but it’s not priggish.

One thing about the priggish though is that they never sound depressed. “Troubled Times” is not only a totally useless narrative but the most lugubrious thing I’ve ever heard from this band. They also couldn’t resist yet another mini-suite, though it’s got the best line (“If this is what you call the good life, I want a better way to die”). Most of these are about three minutes, though. And when they don’t overstep their bounds, songs like “Bang Bang” and “Revolution Radio” hit the mark they were obviously trying for. The problem is they didn’t adjust the songwriting for this new-old approach. “Outlaws” could have been the best song here if it was twice the speed and half the power — or just had a little Spanish guitar. 

You Want It Darker

LEONARD COHEN

Columbia

Maybe it’s wrong to take what’s obvious from Leonard Cohen’s abstruse poetry, but I’m pretty sure he’s saying goodbye. I don’t say that because it has the word “dark” right in the title (give me a little credit); this album actually isn’t so dark. On the contrary, it’s downright anthemic at times, and that’s part of what gives it away. If this was brooding, we’d know he’s got something he wants to agonize over for the next 30 years. The most explicit song, “Leaving the Table,” is anything but downcast for the metaphor; the closest he gets to lament is the confession that “I don’t need a lover/The wretched beast is tame.” Blasphemy.

Leonard’s son produced this one. The last couple were by Madonna’s old producer. Weird, right? Well, actually, once upon a time, Madonna had a string section. I’m assuming he’s responsible for the one on this album, too. It’s a good thing, because otherwise “It Seemed the Better Way” would be a point of weakness. But “You Want It Darker” doesn’t have one of those — just great songs like the intrepid “Steer Your Way,” the wry “Treaty” (“I’ve seen you change the water into wine/I’ve seen you change it back to water too”), and not least its reprise, a touching spot of elegance wisely left unimpaired.

Travis Johnson lives in New London. He has a music blog that can be found at theoldnoise.blogspot.com. Follow him @ThisOldNoise or contact him at thisoldnoise@gmail.com.