The Green Day rock opera recalls a time long gone by (over a decade ago!) when politics were simpler, but still enraging.

In 2005, The Hold Steady were the right band, with the right album, at just the right time. In an indie marketplace dominated by the self-absorbed strains of emo nation and a never-ending supply of post-punk outfits pimping ‘80s nostalgia, The Hold Steady stood out with a record both decidedly Midwestern and defiantly unconcerned with anything pertaining to hipness. What Green Day’s American Idiot does in exploring the political landscape, that disc, Separation Sunday, does…