American Idiot
For its first new set of music since 2000'sWarning, Green Day tears up the blueprint and comes up with something unexpected: a punk rock concept album built around elaborate melodies, odd tempo changes, and a collection of songs that freely reference classic rock warhorses likethe BeatlesandPink Floyd. "She's a Rebel" and "St. Jimmy" might sound like vintage Green Day, but the rest of the disc finds the Northern California trio trying on a variety of different guises: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a cliché-strewnFoo Fighters-style power ballad; "Extraordinary Girl" floats on Indian strings; and the hushed "Wake Me Up When September Ends" wouldn't sound entirely out of place on aJessica Simpsonrecord. It doesn't always work. "Dearly Beloved" eerily resemblesthe Alarm's "68 Guns," while the title track eerily resembles something Green Day has already done far too many times. But, overall,American Idiotrepresents a promising step forward.--Aidin Vaziri