Green Day
Warning:

THE REVIEW

After the hodgepodge of genres that was "Nimrod," you might have wondered which genre Green Day would pursue: rock, the usual pop punk, ska, acoustic ballads?
Well, the answer lies in this "Warning:": pop rock.

The hardcore fans bought the album, listened to it with a grimace, and discarded it without mercy and without a clear reason: unfortunately after "Dookie," everyone has always been waiting for a useless "Dookie 2" (which was attempted with the lackluster "Insomniac" n.d.r.), not being satisfied with the subsequent works.
However, the 12 tracks fly by quickly, they are fresh, naive, and provide a pleasant 40 minutes. The album opens with the title track, a charming song where the acoustic guitar prevails (it's on all tracks) and the rhythm is definitely not punk rock. "Blood Sex And Booze" instead reminds us of "Hitchin A Ride" though the latter was much more inspired and edgy; the lyrics talk about sado-masochism: “I won't dare to move, for the pain it gives me is what I need so make me bleed…”. "Church On Sunday" is a melodically carefree pop song, the lyrics, however, are a somewhat childish promise: “if I promise to go to church on Sunday, will you come with me on Friday morning?”.
The first real surprise of the album is "Misery"; written by three hands, it talks about bad luck, which is capable of uniting different people; the arrangement is "folkloric-western" style especially in the interlude, it's best listened to in the countryside: it fits perfectly. "Deadbeat Holiday" is a beautiful melancholic song that churns out an optimistic lyric; notice how the solo is very similar to that of "Times Like These" by Foo Fighters. On the other hand, "Hold On" behaves oppositely: despite the cheerful harmonica and happy rhythm, the lyrics are a sad statement and an invitation to never give up.
Here we are at the fantastic closing trio: "Waiting" is one of the most rocking on the CD but leaves an unmotivated melancholy inside! "Minority" is without a doubt the song that most recalls the old G.D., powerful punk rock, distortions, great for getting wild, but that somehow doesn't stray too far from the album's environment.
The best track is the concluding "Macy's Day Parade" which follows in the footsteps of "Time Of Your Life" with a few additional elements earning it the title of the best song on the album, and perhaps also of the discography, of the Californians.

In conclusion, it is a mediocre album to listen to when you don't have too many thoughts, when you're just thinking about fun, or as a mellow background at a summer party. Another question: how will the imminent successor sound?