10 Greatest Ever Rock Concept Albums

Carrying on the sentiments of political unrest and rebellion is Green Day's seminal 2004 album American Idiot. Released during the controversial Bush era, American Idiot tells the story of a middle-class teen, known as the "Jesus of Suburbia", who runs away from home in order to find meaning in the big city amongst the other runaways and petty criminals.

The opening title track "American Idiot" effectively sets the scene of a turbulent nation before the protagonist is introduced in "Jesus of Suburbia", a nine minute anthem that sweeps through five different movements as the title character narrates the shallowness and lack of direction he feels from his home life. The next two tracks "Holiday" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", whilst also being amongst the many highlights from this album, are able to compellingly demonstrate the short term elation and the crippling loneliness that the protagonist feels, respectively.

Throughout the rest of the album, the band delves into the high points of the character's new independence, such as meeting punk rock incarnate in "St. Jimmy" and finding a girlfriend in "She's a Rebel", as well as the various low points, such as a newfound drug addiction in "Give Me Novocaine" and the protagonist's eventual breakup in "Letterbomb". Dynamically and emotionally, the narrative of the album is both engaging and entertaining, made all the more so by Green Day's brand of of fast-paced, energetic punk rock.

The strength of this album lies in its lyrics, as Billie Joe is able to sing with the aggression and barbed sarcasm that Green Day was known for in it's earlier work. After a low point following the band's previous album, American Idiot provided a comeback for the band, and introduced an improved and remoulded band for a younger audience. It wouldn't be far from the truth to say that American Idiot is the voice of a generation for a new wave of punk rockers.