Published: May 20, 2009 12:54 pm      

MUSIC: Harmonic trio of goodies awaits music fans

Good things tend to come in threes, and the musical world — a realm with which I’ve increasingly lost touch as the months have progressed — has bestowed such a triumvirate of thrills upon me.

• Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown” came out Friday. My wife’s a much bigger Green Day fan than I am, but I can fondly recall nearly spinning a second hole in my “Dookie” album and was excited to give the record a listen.

Following the lead the band set on its last release, “American Idiot,” “Breakdown” is a concept album broken into three parts meant to seamlessly weave into one another. Through the eyes of Christian and Gloria (who has at least two songs named after her), the album melodically follows the ride many young adults might have had to date in the 21st century.

While not quite the musical revelation that its predecessor was, “Breakdown” still has the potential to be the top rock record of the year. Infused with elements of “Dookie” as well as other rock influences, including Weezer, U2 and even They Might Be Giants, the record offers a great listening while easing up — a bit — on the preachiness of “Idiot.”

The first single, “Know Your Enemy,” is good, but it’s actually a bit generic compared to much of the rest of the album, the band’s eighth. Songs such as the acoustic-driven “Restless Heart Syndrome,” the raucous “The Static Age” and the straight-up punk “Murder City” take the listener all over the emotional map, proving that the phrase “punk opera” isn’t just a marketing gimmick the band dreamed up when releasing “Idiot.”

Whatever you think of this band that used to be nothing more than a simplistic punk trio, “Breakdown” solidifies the stance that when the members of Green Day have something to say, we should all stop and listen.

• Eminem hasn’t had much to say since 2004, but his just-released album “Relapse” shows there’s still a lot on his mind.

Many of his messages may sound familiar — he hates his mom, he’s angry at the world, he fantasizes about doing horrific things to people — but the record takes a serious tone at points, as well. He raps about his battle with drug addiction (which on “My Mom” he attributes partially to a maternal unit who used to put pain pills in his food to keep him quiet) and the loss of D12 member Big Proof, who died on 2006.

Eminem once again shows his silly side with “We Made You,” an ode to celebrities that pokes fun at Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson and the people who think their lives are important. He also shows he can still drop a great beat with “Crack a Bottle,” which features Dr. Dre (also the record’s producer) and 50 Cent and is just a lot of fun to listen to.

And, whether good or otherwise, he shows how far his imagination can stretch with “Insane,” a song whose contents can’t be discussed here but that makes the listener simultaneously cringe and delight in his morbid creativity.

There’s some of the same ol’ on this record (”Bagpipes from Baghdad” sounds good, but no one cares about his beef with Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon), but there’s enough here to make rap fans clamor for “Relapse” and its follow-up, projected for release later this year. Judging by the fact that the first store I went to for this record was already sold out Tuesday morning, fans agree.

• The incessantly touring Dave Matthews Band took enough time to make another record, “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King,” which is set for a June 2 release.

The band’s first studio album since 2005’s “Stand Up” — and first since saxophonist LeRoi Moore died in August from injuries suffered in an ATV accident — was produced by Rob Cavallo and features frequent Matthews collaborator Tim Reynolds.

The first single, “Funny The Way It Is,” features the standard rocky blues element one would expect from DMB, with Matthews’ vocals expertly conveying a certain level of sadness amidst the musical bliss exploding behind them.

And, in case you’re curious, “GrooGrux King” was the nickname given to Moore by his bandmates. The “Big Whiskey” is a toast to him.

Contact Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116,or paul.lane@gnnewspaper.com.