Green Day

Green Day tears up the blueprint and comes up with something unexpected: a punk rock concept album built around elaborate melodies, odd tempo changes, and a collection of songs that freely reference classic rock warhorses like the Beatles and Pink Floyd. "She's a Rebel" and "St. Jimmy" might sound like vintage Green Day, but the rest of the disc finds the Northern California trio trying on a variety of different guises: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a cliché-strewn Foo Fighters-style power ballad; "Extraordinary Girl" floats on Indian strings; and the hushed "Wake Me Up When September Ends" wouldn't sound entirely out of place on a Jessica Simpson record. It doesn't always work. "Dearly Beloved" eerily resembles the Alarm's "68 Guns," while the title track eerily resembles something Green Day has already done far too many times. But, overall, American Idiot represents a promising step forward. --Aidin Vaziri