Warning:

I'm buggered today so if this review seems a tad sloppy, it's cuz my eyes are beyond heavy right now and my brain doesn't work. Anyway, 'Warning:' is an intriguing record for Green Day, released following the mixed reception to the their ambitious 'nimrod.' which saw the band explore different genres and more instruments, an album I enjoyed but felt was a little messy and lacking in direction at times. 'Warning:' addresses this problem by fully committing to its new sound, that being an acoustic-driven folk punk sound with longer songs and optimistic lyrical themes, and for the most part the band pull it off. Just a shame it's kinda boring.

The title track opens things with an immediate declaration of the new sound the band have embraced with jangly acoustic guitars leading the track, with Armstrong's thematic lyrics using typical warning signs or sayings - even a warning siren sample in the back of the mix - to tell fans to defy authority, to live and enjoy life without fear of reprisal. It's cute enough, tho it starts a recurring theme of this album in that the song's overstay their welcome with little development in the instrumental. "Blood, Sex and Booze" has a cheery rhythm that reminds me a little of Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky" with more of their distinct punk sound, with sardonic lyrics about a bottom in a BDSM relationship who feels a little bitter about their position, but is too addicted to the pain to complain. It's fine, a little boring in my opinion, but it's not bad.

"Church On Sunday" is a cute concept, a narrative of an irreligious man who deeply loves a religious woman so is willing to attend church with them to keep their relationship going, it's just that I find the instrumental very basic and the hook kinda sucks in my opinion. "Fashion Victim" is a funkier track about the homogenisation of fashion, with a message to just embrace your own style and focus more on personality and behaviour - a nice message, but the song is very derivative and the "whoa-oh-oh" bridge is more annoying than charming.

"Castaway" has a folksy rhythm tho it's all punk instrumentation with lyrics about a loner who has found solace in their solitude, which again is a cute concept, but the hook is also again forgettable and the song drags on too long. Speaking of being too long, "Misery" absolutely did NOT need to be 5 whole minutes long, even if I think it's on paper one of the most interesting songs on the album - it's styled after Romani folk music with strings, accordion, dramatic drums and a dark vocal delivery detailing various stories of people who have wrought their own misery through their poor life choices. I want to like this more than I do because this is one of the most engaging songs I think Green Day have ever done, it's just a touch too repetitive and runs too long for what it is.

"Deadbeat Holiday" has some funny imagery about an utterly atrocious vacation that the narrator seems to be so blasé about, performed over a deceptively chirpy if derivative instrumental that is passable but nothing all that special. "Hold On" is an upbeat folk track with heavy harmonica usage to really bring those Bob Dylan vibes through, a hopeful song about finding your inner strength and standing tall even through adversity, which is adorable! It's pretty damn boring, but it's cute, and can you really ask for much more than that? "Jackass," on the other hand, is about a person whose confidence is definitely NOT warranted, a class clown who believes themselves to be the funniest person around but is just annoying, with the instrumental taking a very, very faint country twang and even a goddamn saxophone solo towards the end. Again, it's fine enough, just very forgettable.

I will say the album ends strong with three solid tracks closing things off, starting with the very melodic and sweet "Waiting" which is probably the most pop-y song on the album, but this works in its favour as the song is intended to be hopeful about the future, striving for self-improvement and achieving your goals. The guitars are crunchy yet melodic, especially in the chorus with a very smooth solo to boot, and Armstrong's vocal delivery is far gentler and positively soaring. It's one of the best songs here, in my opinion. "Minority" is probably the band's best argument for doing folk punk, sounding like an Irish pub song like if The Pogues were American, with defiant lyrics about standing up for your beliefs even if you're going against public opinion. The crunchy yet bouncy guitars work so well with the energetic acoustic guitar and heartful harmonic, creating a fun harmony that you can just picture people step-dancing to. Really fun song!

The final song "Macy's Day Parade" is a much more somber affair with a slow, emotive acoustic guitar melody coupled with light strings with a softer delivery from Armstrong as he paints an image of people waiting in line at stores after Thanksgiving (or during? I don't know how your holidays work over there) to buy the cheapest goods, seemingly uncaring of the time they could be spending with loved ones. It's about consumerism, basically, which is definitely a problem worth addressing, even if I think Armstrong can get a little melodramatic on this song - the strings aren't helping. But hey, it's still a solid ballad, and a contemplative way to close off this record.

On 'Warning:', Green Day definitely deserve praise for trying something different and sticking to a stylistic change for a whole album, it definitely feels like a complete project that gels together well. The problem, for me, is that the songwriting itself isn't all that interesting and certainly doesn't take full advantage of the folk instrumentation outside a few songs. I can't hate on it too much, there's very little I'd say is offensive or unlistenable, it just doesn't linger in my mind too long after listening. But hey, definitely give it a listen if you want to hear the boys doing something a little different.