Green Day – Uno (2012)

Green Day has sold over 65 million records worldwide with 25 million in the US alone. It’s almost 65 million reasons to hate Green Day. They also has won five Grammy Awards and two years ago (2010), a stage adaptation of “American Idiot” debuted on Broadway. This is “iPhone Punk”? Maybe. But I’m too old, to tired to hate, and Green Day are one of the very few bands around who are still capable to write songs, even further, from time to time, deliver great albums. “American Idiot” it’s a huge album. The follow-up “21st Century Breakdown” sounded more like leftovers, but it still won for second time the Grammy for “Best Rock Album”.
In February, Billie Joe Armstrong announced that they are in the studio recording a new album. He also said: “We are at the most prolific and creative time in our lives… This is the best music we’ve ever written, and the songs just keep coming. Instead of making one album, we are making a three album trilogy. Every song has the power and energy that represents Green Day on all emotional levels. We just can’t help ourselves … We are going epic as fuck!” Armstrong suggested making a trilogy of albums like Van Halen’s Van Halen I, Van Halen II and Van Halen III. He stated in an interview that, “The songs just kept coming, kept coming. I’d go, Maybe a double album? No, that’s too much nowadays. Then more songs kept coming. And one day, I sprung it on the others: ‘Instead of Van Halen I, II and III, what if it’s Green Day I, II and III and we all have our faces on each cover?'”
And here we go, the ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy, a series of studio albums will be released from September 2012 to January 2013. “¡Uno!” is set to be released on September 21, 2012 in Australia and Europe, September 24, 2012 in the United Kingdom and the next day in the United States through Reprise Records. “¡Dos!” comes out on November 13 and “¡Tré!” is due January 15, 2013.

They really have that many great new songs? Definitively not. I read on their official site the phrase: “Songs come and go, like cotton candy — looks good, tastes good, but leaves no lasting impression other than a disgusting sugary aftertaste” – and somehow, “¡Uno!” is exactly that kind of candy, nice listening, but nothing serious remains afterward, we’ve got 12 typical Green Day tracks, a few better moments and some eventually too sweet moments, songs. Green Day seems to be on a cashing-in rampage. They are still connected to the Ramones fueled and Californian Sun burnt, American flavored Punk-Rock with roots back to the New York Dolls, but also try to fit in and satisfy the nowadays teenagers needs for “BRAVO Punk”. One size fits all? I don’t think so…
It’s a matter of taste, obviously, but songs like “Kill The Dj” are not even funny and the joke, if we admit there is one, it’s quite old and recycled. On the other hand, Green Day still have a couple of great (Bubble) Punk songs, set to start the pogo anytime such as “Nuclear Family”, “Let Yourself Go”, “Loss Of Control”, or “Angel Blue”. So, four, maybe 5 good takes and the rest, up to 12 at best kind of so-so. I think delivering three albums it’s far too much even for an “easy” genre as this. With some focus, eventually Green Day could resume from these announced three records for one good, maybe really good album.
So, instead a shot of Tequila we will be served with three glasses of lemonade.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_8C3Z1W_HI&w=545&h=307]

Tracklist:

01 – Nuclear Family
02 – Stay The Night
03 – Carpe Diem
04 – Let Yourself Go
05 – Kill The Dj
06 – Fell For You
07 – Loss Of Control
08 – Troublemaker
09 – Angel Blue
10 – Sweet 16
11 – Rusty James
12 – Oh Love

Green Day – Official Site
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWwMqa-_210?list=UUqC_GY2ZiENFz2pwL0cSfAw&hl=en_US&w=545&h=307]