CDNOW - nimrod review it's no big news that green day was never very punk rock, at least not to us old-timers who always understood the term as a threat to the status quo. they've always been more about hooks, pop songs even, which explains dookie's bazillion copies sold in 1994 and the band's deep and undeniable influence on the 90's alt-rock mainstream. (do you think we'd have the latest wave of punk/ska without them?) but it isn't until now, with nimrod, that these berkeley boys really come to terms with their own pop selves. it's the best move they've ever made. not that nimrod, their third major-label release and sixth overall, is that much of a stretch: they're still the hyperactive trio with the razor-edge sound (rob cavallo again with production) complete with the most accurate brit-vocal inflection this side of the pond. but here, the punk posturing is beginning to erode away, leaving power pop songs to shimmer and shine. classic stuff, really: cuts like "redundant," "worry rock" and even the suicide-themed "uptight" are pure bubblegum-chewing satisfaction, owing as much to cheap trick as to the sex pistols. sure, there are the typical green day gallop-y tunes and self-deprecation, but such bursts are overshadowed by other stellar moments, like guitar leads that jangle heavenly, lonesome harmonicas and giddy horn lines. near the close of nimrod is "good riddance," an acoustic/ string-laden ballad that finds billie joe armstrong taking a surprisingly tender, grown-up look into the past. "i hope you had the time of your life," he sings, acknowledging the difference between then and now -- this from a band whose breakthrough record was titled after the slang for feces. sometimes growing up is the right thing to do. neal weiss