Green Day have always presented me with mixed emotions.
When Dookie came out, two friends of mine grabbed me and made me watch the video for Longview. At the time they told me that I needed to watch this, as it was "punk rock."
I remember thinking that though they definitely had the look, the sound was more power pop than from the sounds that I remember the punk from the 70's and 80's. They seemed to have the swagger of The Clash, but the sound of The Jam.
I bought the record, and enjoyed it tremendously. It had a lot of the elements (angst, humor, energy) from the first punks, but the sound was just too "good". Needless to say, I've grown past that.
Insomniac, the follow up to Dookie is a very interesting record, but more of a mature sound. As such it was destined to fail commercially with GD's fan base, who by this point were about 16.
When Hitchin' A Ride debuted as the first single for NIMROD, I was somewhat surprised. It seemed like the band had taken a maturational step backwards in order to reacquaint themselves with the commercial success that they had enjoyed with Dookie. I bought the record when it was released and was surprised to find ONE OF THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL RECORDS OF 1997.
The record itself isn't necessarily "punk" per se. That is it doesn't sound like a bunch of junkies in a garage with a 4-track recorder.
Punk is, and always will be an attitude. The desire to challenge conformity and do the unexpected is the main focus of the punk scene. NIMROD in this sense is a very punk record. In fact it IS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE PUNK RECORD SINCE LONDON CALLING.
I've listened to this record pretty much non-stop for almost two years, and it is still as fresh as when I bought it.
Mike Dirnt's bass work, and Tre Cool's drumming are the core of the GD sound. Billie Joe Armstrong's bubble-gum sneer adds depth vocally as do his four chords. These guys aren't virtuoso's, but they write awesome music that makes you feel alive. This is what set the first punk bands apart from the "classic rock" of the 70's, which was more about five minute guitar solos stuck in the middle of meaningless vocals, and redundant melodies. Nimrod is full of thick, driving rhythms accented by a fusillade of crunching licks by Billie Joe. Their vocal harmonies are without peer in the punk genre, and the lyrics are clever without being pretentious.
Punk has always been about creativity and taking risks, and Nimrod takes a bunch of them. They have managed to break new territory without selling out. Every song on the record is fun, and while similar in sound to many of GD's songs, they are not in the least bit cliché (Rancid).
Five of the album's 18 tracks made it into radio rotation, yet 3 of the best songs on the record didn't. I'm not sure how this record will sell, but albums like Nimrod make me glad to be a punk.
Bottom line, if you like Green Day at all, you'll love this record. If you don't, odds are it will grow on you, and turn you into a fan in the process.