MTV ONLINE - nimrod review for all the talk of new directions, string and horn sections, and radical experimentation, you'd think this album has green day going lounge or jungle or something. so to fans of the tried-and-tested green day melodic onslaught: chill out. the most diversionary tactic this record employs is the length. with a total running time of 49 minutes, nimrod (the name refers both to a biblical king and contemporary slang for "moron") is easily the longest green day album to date. and with the longest track -- the final, 18th song, "prosthetic head" -- clocking in at 3:37, there really are more tracks for your money. other than that, the formula perfected by the bay area punk band is intact, alive and kicking. yes, "hitchin' a ride" starts with a violin riff courtesy of that dog's petra haden. yes, "good riddance" is a folksy lament over acoustic guitar and a subtle string section. sure, "last ride in" is a spaghetti western theme laden with marimbas and horns. okay, "redundant"'s slower vocal harmonies reveal the band's soft underbelly. "king for a day" even skirts with ska-punk territory. (the two horn players featured on the track, gabe mcnair and stephen bradley, have both toured with no doubt.) but the vast majority of nimrod, from the breakneck thrash of "platypus" and "reject," to the hum-along-punk of "uptight" and "scattered," is classic, melodic green day -- the green day that sold 15 million copies of dookie worldwide, rather than the harder, gruffer version that sold a mere four million copies of insomniac. this is the brash, feisty tunefulness that's been brandished by pop-punk bands from the stooges to the buzzcocks. like the damned, the undertones, and other first-generation british punk bands, green day are masters of turning a melodic chord progression into a series of flawless, quick, focused, and powerful karate moves. everything is perfectly balanced: aggression, honesty, distortion, and tunes. "redundant" suggests the loss of spontaneity in a relationship. it could almost be misinterpreted as the band lampooning itself: "choreographed and lack of passion/prototypes of what we were/went full circle till i'm nauseous/taken for granted now/i'm speechless and redundant." but there's no lack of passion, expression or creativity on this record. it's not a bold step into new musical territory, but so what? the record rocks. if it sells less than 14 million, it will be a reflection of the record buying public's waning taste for in-your-face, on-your-feet punk rock, not of any lack or liability on the part of green day's fifth full-lengther. Dave Kendall