ATP! Album Review: Green Day - "¡Uno!"
At the end of September, legendary punk rockers Green Day released yet another masterpiece. "¡Uno!", the ninth installment to their discography substantiates the assumption that the band hasn’t lost their keen songwriting style during the years. The path Green Day has taken since their inception is viable and enviable to willing musicians alike. The band is able to compose songs that do not repeat themselves, yet remain consistent with their older sound - an aspiration thousands of musicians speak of doing but most do not have the patience, talent, and ambition Green Day have to actually pull it off.Over the years, Green Day have perfected the concept of composing fast-paced yet quickly memorable tunes that have listeners repeating lines almost verbatim after just one listen. "¡Uno!" is another example of this idea. Each track can easily stand on its own as a single, as most of the album’s hit songs have already become. 'Let Yourself Go', a bringing-things-back-to-the-late-80s track in a very Romones-y sort of way is one of them. 'Nuclear Family' opens the record with a jam-packed and jumpy punch in the gut. The viciously worded and Franz Ferdinand 'Take Me Out'-sounding track, 'Kill the DJ', was an instant hit, particularly after the badass music video to accompany it was released a few weeks ago. Those trademark, sugary sweet, punk tunes that essentially define Green Day’s overall style made it to the record as well ('Carpe Diem', 'Troublemaker', 'Fell For You'). Singer-Guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong carries a softer tone that is outlined by a deeper and lower backing music on tracks like 'Sweet 16', a more laidback, mellow, nighttime drive-appropriate song. The album’s first single, 'Oh Love', the five-minute rock anthem, is also a powerful album closer.
There’s really not much to say about "¡Uno!". It demands to be heard, because the result renders the listener speechless. There are just a few more weeks until the second installment in the band’s album trilogy is released, "Dos!", but "¡Uno!" is guaranteed to suffice until then and for years after. Green Day is the immortal punk band. They will never grow up. They will always stay true to their younger selves. And no one can tell them otherwise. If you don’t think so, give track five another listen; the band will most certainly act on their words if challenged.
5/5
Melissa Jones
"¡Uno!" is out now through Reprise Records.
