Insomniac

by

Green Day

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Simple. Juvenile. Immature. Yep, that's the essence of Green Day. It can be a good thing though - being a grownup all the time isn't good for you, and punk is nothing if not a celebration of everything bratty and angry. For all the criticism it invites, Insomniac nevertheless succeeds very well at what it does, more so (in my opinion) than its breakthrough predecessor Dookie. It may be impossible to be objective but even now, years onward from the time I practically wore the disc out as a depressed high-schooler, I have to say it stands up remarkably well. It's energetic, it's bouncy, it's mindless, it flows effortlessly, it's got the same kind of fluffy sing-along quality that AC/DC elevated to an art form. (Sort of. Maybe. Well what would you call it?)

The music is mostly as basic as it gets; people usually need some simple basic fiber in their diets among the more fancy stuff, and Green Day did manage to do more with three chords than anyone since the Ramones. But there's a little extra here - the tight instrumental opening section of "Panic Song," the chunky minor groove of "Geek Stink Breath," the sinister plodding "Brain Stew," the subtle-but-impressive bass work behind "Stuart and the Ave." It's nothing that'll blow anyone's mind, but it adds enough flavoring that the whole thing avoids being a string of similar riffs throughout. (For more variety, try Nimrod.)

The band has moved on to other things since, even currently having a punk-rock opera in the works - I guess everyone has to grow up sometime - but Insomniac remains the highlight of the catalogue for me. Even when it can also make you want to break some furniture. No.. *especially* then.