Green Day

From the opening track of Green Day's latest release, it's obvious that Billie Joe, Mike and Tré are not the punks they used to be. Way more acoustic guitar, way more diversity and way slicker production all point to a bunch of guys who been spending more time exploring the Beatles' back catalogue than spinning their already well worn Clash and Buzzcocks records. Interesting and adventurous if only because it's not the kind we've come to expect from the band that brought punk back into the mainstream. But when they start experimenting with Klezmer kitsch, as they do on "Misery," and Bo-Diddly jive, like they do on "Castaway," all we can do is wonder. It's still their simple '70s-inspired punk approach to tracks like "Church On Sunday" and "Minority" where they are most successful.