misnomer: American Idiot

February 02, 2005

American Idiot

Am I the last person in the world to realize that Green Day's American Idiot is an amazing album?

I saw the windows of the local global record store outlet filled with posters it, and figured it was more of the same.

But I'm listening to it for the first time, and am totally surprised. The "I'm alienated, life is shallow" theme can only be taken so far, but this album is all the more impressive for delivering a mature and sophisticated kind of punk aesthetic (not literally, though: the musical styles on this album are fairly diverse).

It's Dookie, ten years later. Comparisons to the Clash wouldn't be unwarranted.

(Another megaband that has been really surprising in a similar way after a series of misstep releases is Pearl Jam. Their 2002 "Riot Act" is very much worth a listen.)

posted by dru in culture

misnomer | dru.ca

About

Misnomer is a weblog about the politics of new and old media, foreign policy, tech, culture, philosophy, and photography. It is maintained by Dru Oja Jay, who edits a newspaper called the Dominion. He lives in Mile End, a neighbourhood of Montréal, Québec, which is, in some ways, a part of Canada, which in turn subsists on occupied native land to which Canada doesn't actually hold the title. He also travels a lot.

The Dominion

The Dominion is a newspaper with the aim of promoting decent journalism, annoying the overwhelmingly right wing Canadian press, and being non-profit and democratically accountable. All at once. This newspaper also has its own weblog, where I post often.

Others

Some other folks who contribute to misnomer from time to time include Kendall Clark, John Haney, Amanda Jernigan, Ola Mork, and Sylvia Nickerson.

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