10 Rock Albums You Constantly Have To Defend Loving
When are we going to admit Nickelback has some bangers?
We all have those albums that fill us with a slight sense of shame or guilt whenever we stick them on. Sometimes we're aware that these records merely serve to tickle our nostalgia button; we listen to them as a way to reminiscent about simpler times.
If you were entering your teenage years during the 2000s, you probably didn't escape without soaking up some trash along the way... , but it was fun all the same. No doubt there's a number of albums already entering your mind, something by a nu metal or pop punk group, most likely. There's nothing like sticking on a universally recognised 'guilty pleasure' for a bit of boozy bonding.
Unfortunately, whenever these records come up in conversation, or spill through a sound system, there's always that one music snob who has something to say about it... But should you still be feeling shame for indulging in something that brings you so much joy? Okay Nickelback's a separate issues...
Here's 10 records you should flaunt shamelessly, and if anyone has anything to say about it, you can respond with a quote from the wordsmith, Fred Durst: "I think you better quit, talking that s**t."
10. Green Day: American Idiot (2004)
This was the triumphant return for Green Day. After several years trying to figure out what direction to go in - after the lukewarm reception of Warning (2000) - they came back with a new look and and new sound. At first all the guy-liner and checkerboard-print ties encouraged accusations of selling out. If moving to a major label in the early '90s hadn't been enough, then presenting a contrived 'punk' look to the world was the final straw.
But once you got into the meat and bones of Green Day's seventh studio album, you could ignore all the superficial visuals. This stuff had substance. Billie Joe Armstrong's scathing take down of American life was nothing if not inspired. American Idiot and Holiday reflected the feeling of unease and frustration at America's Middle Eastern policy; Jesus of Suburbia became the new anthem for the disenfranchised America youth; and Boulevard of Broken dreams struck a chord no matter what country you were from. What's more their new, heavier sound had enough energy to stir up excitement for a band who had been thought obsolete.
There wasn't many people around in the 2000s who didn't give this album some attention, and if your still fighting the urge to enjoy it, do yourself a favour and indulge.