90s Green Day is Back

Those of you who have been waiting for Green Day to go back to their old roots do not have to wait any longer. ¡Uno! will bring fans right back to the 90’s with its upbeat, punk, party sound. Unlike American Idiot, and 21st Century Breakdown, ¡Uno! takes a break from Green Day’s concept albums and follows up with twelve pop-punk ditties. Green Day left the politics at home this time around as they decided to integrate the sex, drugs and rock and roll theme into their new album. ¡Uno! is the first album of Green Day’s three part trilogy, which will be followed up in the near future by ¡Dos! and ¡Tré!.

The album begins with a bang as the song “Nuclear Family” takes off in a quick mixture of guitar and drums, followed by the also upbeat “Stay the Night”. These first two songs should be a huge relief for old school Green Day fans as the forty-year-old punk rockers revisit a familiar sound with a new twist.

“Carpe Diem” will have everyone singing along with its catchy chorus…Carpe Diem a battle cry! It also has the strongest sound of Green Day’s previous album. Don’t worry: the familiar sound from last album disappears with ¡Uno!’s next song, “Let Yourself Go,” getting you right back into that fast paced rhythm. Billie Joe Armstrong fills the listeners’ ears with an angry sound, and lyrics.

Green Day surprises listeners with “Kill the DJ,” a fun, catchy song, where the band experiments with a new sound before slowing things down a bit with “Fell for You.” This love song has a softer touch of rock and roll and, lyrically, is the most deeply emotional song on the album. To offset the romantic feel, Green Day bounces into another angry song “Loss of Control.” This song’s lyrics has touches of old Green Day; there is just the right amount of swearing with a dash of immaturity.

“Troublemaker” is one of the shortest tracks on the album. Mellower than some of the other songs, there is a great guitar solo that reveals just how talented Armstrong has gotten over the years. “Angel Blue” quickly became a fan favorite when it leaked on the internet from a live concert, and for good reason. This is one of the best tracks off ¡Uno!. To follow up, “Sweet 16” is another slow song off the album where Armstrong reminisces about being a teenager.

To finish up, Green Day comes in with a tune known as “Rusty James.” Musically, this song relates to older tracks in Green Day’s career, which will make many happy. “Oh Love” was the first single Green Day released off the album. It captures much of the basic sound ¡Uno! has to offer.

The band came out proving a point in this first installment of the trilogy: they are still the same punk rockers from fifteen years ago. ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! have some big shoes to fill, but from the bang of this first album, Green Day fans do not have to worry. ¡Uno! was released on Tuesday, September 25, 2012.