Green Day : ¡Uno!

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/greendayuno.jpg" alt="Green Day : ¡Uno!" /><br /> Green Day begins their three albums in five months with <i>¡Uno!</i>. ...
Green Day : ¡Uno!
7.0 Reprise
2012 

Green Day : ¡Uno! If you’re Green Day, how in the world do you follow up the wildly successful American Idiot?  You release a not-quite-as popular but maybe equally good rock opera entitled 21st Century Breakdown (QRO review).  So you have two big-as-life albums, what do you do next?  Well, you’re Green Day, so naturally you release not one, not two, but three new albums all within five months of each other – something that would seem like way too huge an undertaking for anyone else.

But let’s get one thing straight.  This may be a new tactic for Green Day but this is definitely not a new Green Day.  Musically, this is a Green Day we have heard numerous times before, particularly, in the ‘90s.  They billed ¡Uno! as a return to their ‘90s roots, and if you’re eager for that then ¡Uno! is the album for you.

This album may possess the potential to grow on you as you listen to it, but let’s face it, there has to be a certain element of a stellar first impression for a listener to want to give it a second spin.  ¡Uno! borders on not having that. 

One of its lesser tracks is "Kill the DJ".  Some have speculated that it is a critique of the electronic dance music scene of the industry and how boring it is.  Green Day better be careful who they point the boring finger at…  However, on the flip side of the coin they should also be commended for this song, as it is one of the few exceptions on the album in that it does sound different than anything they have ever done with its dance feel. 

There is one rather large positive aspect to ¡Uno!, and that is that it is an easily digestible set of twelve relatively short rock songs.  With American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown things started to feel a bit cramped, like you couldn’t enjoy the album without strings attached.  It was almost as though you felt obligated to figure out what the concept was behind the albums rather than just be able to enjoy the songs by themselves.  This isn’t the case with ¡Uno!.  Any one of the songs stands well on its own and you can listen to the whole album all the way through on your commute to work.  That is a welcomed change.

Without a doubt, the strongest, catchiest, and overall best song on the album is its closing track (and what a way to end with a bang) "Oh Love".  It has overtones of some old Irish drinking song that just makes you want to tap your foot or shake your fist or something crazy.  This song exemplifies the direction that Green Day should have pursued further.  Who knows, maybe next month’s ¡Dos! or January’s ¡Tré! will explore that territory more. 

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, Green Day does next.  It will be particularly interesting to see if they slow down at all, especially given singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong’s current stint in rehab.  Just when they have people thinking they have them figured out, they pull the rug out from underneath all of us.  ¡Uno! may not be the top contender for best Green Day album, but it is easy to see they put a lot of work into the project.  It is a worthy release by a true American rock band. 

MP3 Stream: "Oh Love"

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