Well, it certainly starts off well. The opening two tracks are both slight evolutions from 'Insomniac', with 'Nice Guys Finish Last' being more developed and longer than the average track from that album, but otherwise sounding very similar and having Billie Joe Armstrong's signature adolescent character studies. The LP's lead single, 'Hitchin' a Ride' starts off with a tiny violin solo showing the first example of an instrument on a Green Day song that isn't electric guitar, bass or drums. The meat of the track is also brilliant, with a 'Brain Stew'-esque riff that builds and especially a great drum performance from Tre Cool.
'Brat' is decent, and despite the typical instrumental shows off the newfound talent Armstrong has discovered for hooks in even his album deep cuts. This is showcased brilliantly on what I see as the first 'modern' Green Day song, 'Redundant'. It's a chugging, unbelievably catchy and surprisingly emotionally affecting, and is easily one of the best songs on the album. 'Scattered' is more of the same with melodic verses, even if it sounds like the template for every terrible children/teen-based pop-punk theme tune. Less good is 'All the Time', which fails to really stand out amongst all of the more interesting songs surrounding it.
'Worry Rock's melody sounds like a brilliantly corrupted Christmas song, and 'Platypus (I Hate You)' is ironically more punk than anything Green Day have ever released - other than the insane, incomprehensible 'Take Back' which features Armstrong giving a grimy, spit-filled growl on the chorus. 'Uptight' is another pop-(punk) jam with rattling verses and a sing-along chorus, before the album is confusingly paused by 'Last Ride In'. An instrumental that sounds like a surf-rock cover of a western movie soundtrack might have been alright if it was short, but it stands as the longest song on the album at 4 dreary minutes.
'Jinx' and 'Reject' sounds like some of the weaker 'Insomniac' tracks, whereas 'Haushinka' is a hellish fusion between the aforementioned 'Insomniac' tracks with a mediocre pop hook not helped by some strange lyrics ("This girl has gone far away" is hardly a memorable line to constantly repeat.). Things get back on track with the harmonica filled 'Walking Alone', which isn't amazing but the harmonica makes it stand out clearly. 'King For A Day' also stands out because of it's bizarre horn section. It's usually seen as one of the most divisive Green Day songs, especially with it's lyrics about cross-dressing, but as far I'm concerned the weirder the better! To date, it's one of the most unique and funny creations Green Day have come out with.
Then, the big single. The REALLY BIG single. 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)' has a reputation as being overplayed during end-of-year proms and for being 'lame'. In the context of 'American Idiot', it seems obvious that Green Day would make a slower, acoustic ballad, but it's hard to overstate just how different this song was for Green Day - and it's success as a single was likely what inspired their shift towards pop-rock. As someone writing from the UK, I had never heard this song before I became a fan of Green Day so I can appreciate it for what it is: A beautiful, heartbreaking yet uplifting anthem that comes out of the blue at the end of an energetic, punchy album. But wait! There's one track left, and it's the incredible 'Prosthetic Head'. Believe it or not, this is probably my favourite song on the album, with it's backing vocal drenched chorus and verses that showcase Mike Dirnt's consistently great bass work and a guitar riff that will be stuck in your head if you only hear it once.
All in all, 'Nimrod' is a really great album with some songs that fall below par. Despite these, the good heavily outweighs the bad and the album is easily the most experimental Green Day album, and is certainly worth a listen from any self-respecting pop-punk fan.
8/10
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