Don't be a Nimrod 3 Out Of 5 Stars
Green Day overcame the creative slump of "Insomnia" with "Nimrod," their first real attempt at playing like a bunch of grown-ups. Granted, there are still plenty of explosive short and sharp punkers to be found here ("Take Back" and the goofy "Platypus"), this was the album where they threw out the rulebook and began to experimenting. It also gave them their first bonafide mass-appeal hit with "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)."The spiraling blender of styles makes this a very interesting album. The topics range from the usual angry punk-outs ("Nice Guys Finish Last") to some very adult issues. "Hitching A Ride" confronts the difficulty in staying sober while trying to live one day at a time. The bitter old man in "The Grouch" details maturing in age but seeing your dreams fall behind. Then there's the instrumental "Last Ride In," playing like the end credits from a 60's beach romance. (They topped this with the eventual "Austin Powers" soundtrack song "Espionage"). There's also a vicious sense of humor in "The Grouch" and a more playful one in "King For a Day," in which the gay son is trying to sort out why he can't have his "GI Joe in panty hose."
The most fascinating thing about "Nimrod" is just how far Green Day had evolved since becoming superstars. The snotty juvenilia that was so charming on "Dookie" and sounded forced on "Insomnia" has pretty much vanished. The band is inventing characters for songs and exploring other musical textures, something that would fully open on "Warning" in another few years.
No comments:
Post a Comment