Warning

Punk bands don't tend to age gracefully, but on its latest release Green Day proves that, after almost 10 years of making music, three-chord power rockers can, in fact, grow up and still sound relevant. Picking up where the 1998 acoustic hit "Time Of Your Life (Good Riddance)" left off, the California-based trio continues its exploration of more straight-ahead rock and pop with surprisingly strong results. Musically the band is at its most diverse, including horns, strings, and organs in its arrangements and displaying influences from the likes of the Beatles ("Hold On") and the Kinks ("Misery") to the Sex Pistols. Meanwhile, lead vocalist and guitar player Billie Joe Armstrong -- who built his reputation singing about teen angst and masturbation on 1994's "Dookie" -- is now a little older and wiser in his writing, too, dealing with more philosophical themes of hope, faith, and maturity. That's not to say Green Day has completely strayed from its punk roots. On tracks like the infectious "Waiting" and the prototypical "Deadbeat Holiday," the band still showcases the sarcasm and raw melodic strength that remains at the core of its appeal.