In 1994 Green Day broke through internationally with the successful album Dookie. The punk rock boom was at its peak at that time and together with a band like The Offspring the trio from Berkeley, California broke all records. That success can put a strain on a young band was shown by the changeable albums that the band released afterwards. Actually, only the versatile Warning (2000) was really
… worth it. It was telling that on that record the band got further away from its punk roots than ever before. With American Idiot, however, Green Day largely returns to that. Opener American Idiot sets the tone for an openly critical album that traditionally contains catchy punk songs such as Holiday and Letterbomb. But it is precisely quiet songs like Boulevard Of Broken Dreams and the beautiful Wake Me Up When September Ends with which Green Day really impresses and makes the album an extraordinarily balanced whole. So the cliché can come out: American Idiot has been more than worth the wait. (RWK)more
