Insomniac
There is very little room to relax on Insomniac. Even when Green Day slow down, the guitars feel tense and Billie Joe Armstrong sounds as though an argument is still running in his head. The album takes the quick melodies of their earlier work and gives them a harder, less welcoming setting. It is a convincing fit.
Armatage Shanks establishes the approach with busy drums and a guitar part that wastes no time. Armstrong delivers its pessimism with enough melody to keep the song from becoming a flat complaint. Brat and Stuck With Me follow quickly, the latter especially good at fitting a strong tune inside a compact, aggressive performance.
The rhythm section does much of the interesting work. Mike Dirnt's bass gives Stuart and the Ave. a sharp entrance, while Panic Song lets the instruments take over for an unusually long opening. Its repeated bass figure and urgent drumming make the arrival of the vocal feel like a release of pressure. It is the record's clearest demonstration that Green Day can develop an idea without adding decorative parts.
Brain Stew gets a similar result from almost opposite means. Its slow, interrupted riff leaves awkward gaps around the voice. The switch into Jaded then feels like somebody finally losing patience. Taken separately, the slower song can seem stubbornly repetitive; together, the two tracks make that repetition useful.
Not every short burst has an equally strong identity. Tight Wad Hill contributes speed and bite without supplying the kind of hook that makes Stuck With Me memorable. Yet the general consistency of the attack suits an album built around irritation, self-doubt and bad decisions.
Walking Contradiction provides a smart ending. Its steadier movement gives Armstrong's humour room to land, and the change in pace helps the album finish with a song rather than another collision. Insomniac has a narrow emotional range, but the playing keeps that narrow space busy. Green Day sound particularly effective when being this uncomfortable.
