¡ Uno! is the first of the trilogy of Green Day albums released late last year. Putting out three albums in one year is quite a feat, and seems almost on the level of the Beatles, with all of the albums, and quality ones at that, that they put out in the brief period of time when they were at their peak. I'm not saying that Green Day are like the Beatles, but I was impressed with the level of their musical creativity. Here is a track by track review of each song from this first of three records the band put out in 2012:
1. Nuclear Family - A good punk song to open up the first of their three albums, and it harkens back to some of their earlier stuff. For whatever the reason, the countdown at the end seems particularly catchy and memorable to me, although I can hardly explain why here. Just give it a listen.
2. Stay the Night - I like this one. Catchy, yet something you can rock out to. A good, solid song, overall.
3. Carpe Diem - This one has echoes of the Clash's "I Fought the Law" in it at points, as well as Billy Joel's "Sometimes a Fantasy". Not a bad song overall, though.
4. Let Yourself Go - Surely, you've heard this one on the radio by now? A very enjoyable song with a good sound to it, and perhaps their biggest and most successful hit from the trilogy? Not sure, but it's pretty good! Hopefully, it does not get so overplayed that we get sick of it.
5. Kill the DJ - Not nearly as aggressive as the title might suggest. At least, not musically, although the lyrics....well. But a good and memorable song, overall.
6. Feel For You - This one sounds like old-style rock, and even the lyrics seem reminiscent of that, and has that kind of old feel to it.
7. Loss of Control - The beginning of this song reminds me a bit of Pearl Jam's "Breakerfall", although it definitely takes a very different turn before very long.
8. Troublemaker - Another song that seems eerily reminiscent of a bygone era. Sounds a little bit like "American Woman" by the Guess Who. Not bad, though, overall.
9. Angel Blue - I like this one. A simple style with an older feel, yet mixed in with the definite raw sound and muscle of punk. Pretty nice! Not likely to be one of their better known songs, but this one really sounds great!
10. Sweet 16 - Classic themes and with a hint of an older feel as well, yet this is a song with more modern sensibilities in sound.
11. Rusty James - Maybe it's just me, and I hope I don't get lynched by hardcore fans of Green Day for saying this, because I doubt that they will like the comparison, but I hear a little bit of Bon Jovi's "Never Say Goodbye" in this one.
12. Oh Love - I will make another comparison here, fair or not. But this song reminds me of the Steve Miller Band's "Rock 'N Me", with an obviously more punk feel to it. Not bad, though, and a decent closer.
You just have to marvel at the creativity of the group, and particularly of Billie Joe Armstrong. They are just so incredibly creative, and were able to create three pretty full albums of good music. I know that I probably went overboard with listing the artists and songs that some of the tracks here reminded me of. In fact, I liked this album quite a bit. This is the first of that trilogy, and as such, it serves to open them up strongly.
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