Green Day - American Idiot
After a glorious run in the 90’s, Green Day started the new century with an album that was widely seen as disappointing. Their career appeared to be at a crossroads when they had a seemingly crazy idea: a punk rock opera. This could have gone horribly wrong, but it didn’t. The resulting “American Idiot” rejuvenated their career and made them legends (and was eventually even turned into a Broadway musical). The album seamlessly blends 9-minute mini suites such as “Jesus of Suburbia” with typical Green Day bangers like the opening title track or tender ballads such as “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. The overall narrative - part social commentary, part exploration of love, angst and uncertainty - holds the album together and makes it best enjoyed as a whole, but each song works individually as well. It shows a band challenging themselves and piecing an enormous amount of ideas together to an impressive cohesive whole. One of the most iconic albums of the 2000’s.
