Green Day – ¡UNO!
so, ¡UNO! (and its associated records) is unique for two reasons. firstly, the band went into the studio to record what they thought was gonna be a double album, and came out of the studio with three albums, all of which released in 2012. this is the first of them. secondly, this record marked the first change to the band’s lineup in a long time: they added their touring guitarist to the studio lineup starting with this release. let’s check out the record!
Nuclear Family has a really nice core groove to it. fun track. Stay the Night feels a lot mellower, comparatively, haha, even with the shift into the chorus. this also feels like something late Less Than Jake could do. i really don’t feel super strongly about Carpe Diem lyrically, but damn its really fucking catchy. what an earworm of a track. Let Yourself Go has some nice energy to it, but man i wish itd lean a little more into the angry energy, haha. Kill the DJ is a little closer to the kinda vibes im looking for, haha. v fun, v catchy track. Fell For You is aight. dont feel super strongly one way or the other about this one. Loss of Control is also aight, at its strongest at the chorus. neat lil reference to American Idiot in there tho. Troublemaker feels like its building to something but i honestly dont ever feel like it gets there. something about the intro reminds me of another song that i cant place. Angel Blue really grew on me. this one’s got a good chorus, and overall, a good time. Sweet 16 is, well, a very sweet song about Armstrong’s wife. nice track. Rusty James is a p good track. come back to me in a while and see if this has grown enough to be a fave. Oh Love is a neat track. v solid ending. another track that has grown a bit and might grow a lil more over time.
faves – Carpe Diem, Kill the DJ, Angel Blue
dislikes –
as a side note to start, i feel like there’s an odd effect on Armstrong’s vocals in places on this record. it feels like there’s a higher amount of processing on it than earlier records – i only mention it because it sounds a little distant in places and its a shame because him being to present in the tracks is something thats really effective on their older work.
man this album really feels like a return to the Warning days, which is both a good and a bad thing. the looser, less connected compositions don’t feel as gripping or well composed, but the variety afforded by that is really nice, and there are some real strong tracks here.
unfortunately, as a complete package, i feel kinda middling about it. def not bad, but far from their best.
¡UNO! – 5/10
next time we’ll be checking out their second 2012 release, ¡DOS!
first: 1,000 Hours | previous: 21st Century Breakdown | next: ¡DOS!
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