My iPod #130: Green Day - Brain Stew

Wha-hey. Another Green Day song in a matter of days. What a song too. Let me tell you alllll about it.

So the year is 2005. I get "American Idiot" for my birthday, I look at every Green Day fan site to gather as much information as I can about the three guys and their music. Green Day were my favourite band ever. What better place to find stuff about them then their offical website?

Circa 2005, the Green Day website had an "American Idiot" theme about it. Colours of red, black and white, with a lot of heart-hand grenades too. The website also put up all of their official music videos. YouTube was just about just getting started, so the only way to watch them was through RealPlayer and Windows Media Player; it was a real pain if you didn't have the top speed needed to let the videos play at maximum quality. They always needed to buffer and all that nonsense. Being a single, "Brain Stew" was able to be viewed.

"Brain Stew" was released from the band's fourth album "Insomniac". Not just by itself, but with its companion "Jaded" which comes right after it.

The song is the ravings of a man who cannot get to sleep at night. One who suffers from insomnia, if you will. Although I can't remember a time where I've felt so restless that I thought my eyes were going to be bleed whilst they were bulging out of my skull. I felt nervous during the night before my exam results day, and I had a bit of a tummy problem. That was about it though.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #50: Green Day - Armatage Shanks

 

 Good evening.

Today, it is Green Day again. This time, it's the opening track from their fourth album 'Insomniac.'

I listened to 'Armatage Shanks' quite a while ago on one of Green Day's fan sites. This was when I was Green Day crazy, 'American Idiot' was my favourite album and gradually I became more and more interested in the band.

I was probably about ten when I first heard 'Armatage', and I didn't think about it so much. It wasn't really a special song, the title is named after a company that makes bathroom sinks, man. Bathroom sinks. As a title of a song, it's really cool though. There is something really angst and sharp about it.

Anyone who owns 'Insomniac' will recognise the massive difference there is between it and its predecessor 'Dookie'. Whilst still containing two-three minutes of memorable tracks, 'Insomniac' took more of a darker and edgier approach. Look at the difference between the album covers, for goodness sake. The overdubbed guitars are more distorted and crunchy, Mike Dirnt really cranks it up on his bass playing on this album, Tré is as good as ever on the drums and Billie Joe is a lot more snotty in his vocal delivery.

All of that is really summed up in this track, and as the first one on the album it sets the tone that you will hear for the next thirteen songs straight away.

Can anyone tell me what is being said in the bridge, because I still have no clue.

Until next time.

Jamie.