Search - Green Day :: Warning

Green Day, pre-September 11

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 04/10/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"2000's Warning was Green Day's sixth studio album, and in a lot of ways it seemed to mark the point when the band "grew up." The band had arguably left the "punk" tag behind an album or two prior to this one, but here they seem to have made peace with that. Warning is a pop-oriented rock album that's extremely well put together. It has some completely infectious melodies, very clever lyrics, and the musicianship and vocals are all top notch. It also has a very real spirit that I still find compelling. "Macy's Day Parade," "Minority," "Castaway," and "Church on Sunday" are absolutely fantastic songs, and the rest of the album is almost as impressive.



It's not as much mindless fun as the old Green Day albums, but Warning is smarter, catchier, and really hooks you. For the longest time it was my favorite Green Day album. Of course, then came 9/11, which shook the band enough to result in a sharp change in direction on their follow-up album American Idiot, which almost makes this album sound quaint by comparison. You hear people talk about a "September 10" mindset, and that's how I've come to view Warning. This is where Green Day's sound would have continued to go if not for the 9/11 aftermath, and as much as I love this album, the albums that came after it are so much better.



This really is a unique Green Day album. If you're looking for either the old pop-punk Green Day or the new rock opera Green Day, you're not going to find it here. If you're a fan of both the old and new Green Day sounds though, you really ought to check out Warning. It's one of the band's best albums.



Oh, and if you like Warning, you should pick up the guys' Foxboro Hot Tubs side project (Stop Drop And Roll), which sounds like Warning meets the Kinks."