News: Green Day "¡Uno!" Album Review — 5 out of 5 stars

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:48:39

So, leave it to Green Day to top even Dookie with their ninth studio album, ¡Uno!.

Now, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown were classics in their own right, but Dookie changed the game for a whole generation and beyond. If you can't hum "When I Come Around" by heart, there's something wrong with you. Who could forget the video for "Basket Case" or the band's mud-covered Woodstock '94 deification? However, the first entry of their ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy ups the ante and reeks of revolution. It's the biggest, most bombastic, and brilliant Green Day album yet. Like your favorite records from AC/DC and The Beatles were simplicity is the key to genius, ¡Uno! remains timeless.

From the power chord unrequited lover's plea "Stay the Night" to the smoking stomp of opener "Nuclear Family", the band has perfected pop rock into a punk-y science. "I just want some action, so give me my turn," declares singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong at the start of the former. That action comes on the tasty bass bounce from Mike Dirnt, while Tre Cool's towering beats can fill any stadium worldwide. Let's not forget the surf-style lead—pure California bliss.

"Carpe Diem" is a groove-driven anthem of seizing the moment—might be their "Motto" a la Drake and Weezy—and "Let Yourself Go" speeds up the punk well past 65 mph. The trio manages to experiment on the funky soul strut of "Kill the DJ". No man behind a computer or turntables will survive their swagger…

"Fall For You" fells sensitively slick in a '50s vibe, while the closer, and first single, "Oh Love" is as massive as anything U2 or Coldplay have turned out, but there's still the right amount of gutter grit.

Whether you dig pop, punk, rock, or whatever-catchy-sonic-poison-exists, ¡Uno! is for you. It's proof that rock is alive and well. Leave it to the punks, and there are two more of these on the horizon!

—Rick Florino
09.20.12

What's your favorite Green Day song?

Get the album on Tuesday September 25!

Tags: Green Day, AC/DC, The Beatles, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool, Drake, U2, Coldplay