Rock Album Review: ¡Uno! by American Band Green Day

¡Uno! is the ninth studio album by Green Day and the first installment of a trilogy released from September to December 2012.

Introduction

No one could have predicted that Green Day would grow in popularity and become a rock culture iconic band. Billy Joel's band had a glorious debut with the iconic punk rock album Dookie (1994). Still, their fame scaled to unfathomable dimensions, turning them into one of the most significant rock powers in the world.

The truth is that after almost a decade wandering in the desert, with dull records that sold very little, Green Day came back with a blast from the past to show they weren't "finished" and still had a few aces up their sleeve when they released the rock-opera American Idiot.

However, after being criticized again for the more pop-oriented 21st Century Breakdown, these punk rockers decided to put aside their epic wave and make a more immediate record, presenting the world with the refreshing ¡Uno!

Track-by-track Analysis

The truth is that this is an album that will quickly sound familiar to those who idolize the phenomenon that was Dookie, with the opening song "Nuclear Family" opening the hostilities in a punk rock energetic record as you want!

The band still wants to show that there's some punk energy left in their veins in more explosive tracks like "Let Yourself Go" or "Loss Of Control," some of the best songs from ¡Uno!

The winning formula is still there in the catchy melodies, with a prominent bass protruding from time to time and a Billy Joe Armstrong showing himself more comfortable with a guitar in his hands doing solos in almost every song and, by the way, well!

But the album isn't solely punk rock, and there's room for danceable beats and pop melodies that always helped the band catapult themselves to the masses. Namely, in "Stay The Night," "Fell For You" (a sticky power ballad), and "Troublemaker" (a more poppish tune).

"Carpe Diem" has some of the album's best lyrics, but riff-wise, this track is quite monotonous.

"The blink of an eye

Barely scraping by

Dominated by passer by's

Feeling out of luck

When the traffic's stuck

And you're feeling

So left behind."

Billy Joe's sarcasm makes Green Day's lyrics socially ubiquitous. A good example is the second single, "Kill the DJ," a biting song filled with grizzly metaphors and biblical analogies.

"Kill the DJ" sounds entertaining and refreshing with that somewhat dance beat but quickly loses steam even if the lyrics are awesome: "We are the vultures / The dirtiest kind / We'll cut you once / In your heart and your mind."

The final stretch of the album is a rather negative one, with the two weakest songs. "Sweet 16" could belong to a soundtrack of American Pie, and "Oh Love" shows itself to be disconnected from the record by its epic tone).

"Oh love, oh love

Won't you rain on me tonight?

Oh life, oh life

Please, don't pass me by

Don't stop, don't stop

Don't stop when the red lights flash

Oh ride, free ride

Won't you take me close to you?"

Final Thoughts

Notwithstanding, the band signed a consistent pop-punk record, although without innovating much and with some missteps along the way. The trilogy closes the punk-rock operas series, and the band starts carving the path to the pop-punk sound that would turn them into pop culture icons.

Green Day will go on stage during this year's 24-hour virtual music festival, Global Citizen, scheduled for September 25. The online broadcast aims to help raise funds and awareness to fight poverty around the world.

Metallica, Coldplay, The Lumineers, Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish, Duran Duran have also confirmed their presence and will join Green Day for what promises to be a great show.

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