Albums by this artist

American Idiot (2004)

nimrod (1997)

Green Day

nimrod

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» GREG PEREZ | NATN ART DIRECTOR

Green Day nimrod Reprise, 1997 RiYL: Offspring, Rancid, Pennywise

It's hard to believe that at the ripe old age of 25, Billie Joe Armstrong is all grown up. But one listen to Nimrod may lead you to believe Green Day is trying to break into the "adult contemporary rock" market.

There's still that charming boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-hates-self ammo that made Green Day so cool in the first place (see "Scattered" and "Haushinka"). It's cheerfully glum stuff, perfect for pop-punk gems sung with snotty defiance. But while they're giving us the ol' musical finger with obnoxious anthems like "The Grouch" and "Platypus (I Hate You)," they've also buoyed some of that punk rock bile with some unlikely flourishes.

A woozy surf instrumental? Harmonica rock? A horn section? Sure! Why not? Most fans will probably laugh out loud upon hearing the first strums of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," a folky acoustic Billie Joe solo number destined for greatness at coffeehouse open-mic nights (or sappy NBC cameos, for that matter). But at least they're trying something other than the standard-issue three chord anarchy.

Just beware the swelling string section.

GREG PEREZ | Those that know this man -- as friend, NATN designer and/or Asian Millionaire -- love him. You can check out his site or email him and give him thoughts on our site's design.