Green Day

On their third major label release, Green Day began experimenting more in the studio, weaning themselves a bit from their tried-and-true three chord monte Punk Pop. While pop melodies still form the foundation of their music, they throw in a surf song ("Last Ride In") and a wandering ballad that became the album's biggest hit, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)."

Green Day have one doozy of a flashback of their punk-rock past midway through Nimrod,
the California trio's fifth album. On the song "Platypus (I Hate You)" drummer Tré Cool's
tom-toms and Mike Dirnt's bass pound like a herd of charging rhinos as singer Billie Joe
Armstrong condenses the phrase " 'Cause I hate you" into "Cuz-l-hatechew." Green Day's
pop future can be glimpsed immediately afterward. "Uptight" rolls in like a wave,... More >

Punks can age gracefully, but for whiners it's hard ("The Grouch," "Walking Alone") (Grade - **)