American Idiot - An Appreciation

On my way home from work today, was scrolling through the iPod figuring out what to listen to and happened upon Green Day's American Idiot.  For whatever reason, the over exposure the band between the Broadway musical, their over the top stage show, and their metamorphosis into uber Rock Stars turned me off so much that I stopped listening to them for a long time.  So, I don't what it was that behooved me to listen to them today, but I took the plunge.  After that first riff of American Idiot, it all came back to me -  this is amazing record - arguably the best of their 20 + year career.

Now, in the eyes of many punk purists still steaming that they left the confines of the Gilman Street punk scene nearly 10 years before, there is nothing that Green Day could do to ever win them back - ever.  The ironic thing about American Idiot is that, in a number of ways, it's taking that same Descendents-style pop punk prominent on their indie releases like Kerplunk and just refining the formula.

The album storms out of the gates with "American Idiot", a three minute bomb that throws just a few subtle jabs at the administration that was in charge at the time along with the general apathy that was so pervasive then.  Featuring some of Billie Joe Armstrong's most blistering lyrics, this would be the best song any other Green Day album - except this one.

Coming out of left field, Green Day took the concept of the mini-rock opera immortalized in The Who's classic song "A Quick One While He's Away" and punked it out - literally.  "Jesus of Suburbia" is a five part rock opera that sounds effortless for a band that had specialized in two minute pop punk tunes.  And they liked it so much they did a second one "Homecoming" to finish the album.

The rest of the album is filled with pop punk nuggets and a couple of more traditional rock tunes, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Wake Me Up When September Ends".  While I think these two songs are probably the weaker songs on the album, they did expose Green Day to a new audience who probably wouldn't have seen them at 924 Gilman Street back in the day.  To show their indie cred is still at least somewhat intact, "Letterbomb" features a cameo appearance from Riot Grrrl extraordinaire Kathleen Hanna (a.k.a. Mrs. Ad Rock).

All told, American Idiot represents a pinnacle for Green Day.  It's a perfect mix of pop-punk, politically charged lyrics that would make the editors at Maximum Rock and Roll reconsider their eternal disdain for anything on a major label, and, dare I say it, epic rawwwwwwkkkk songs.  While I may never go see the Broadway musical,  the album has flown back into my active rotation.  

Here's a clip of them performing Jesus of Suburbia.  Enjoy