Billie Joe Armstrong’s recent antics have seen Green Day in the news for all the wrong reasons. Which is a shame, because for the most part, this is a rollicking return to form.
The first release from a trilogy, (named Uno! Dos! Tre!), ¡Uno! does away with the bloated rockisms of albums gone by. Instead, record number nine is a quickfire 12-song-set, a puckish blast of clanging riffs and fizzy power-pop hooks. It hits hard, fast and with admirable consistency.
In fact, the only exception to the rule is first single and album closer, “Oh Love”. A lesson in mid-tempo sludge, it reaches for The Who but never quite gets there. It’s five minutes of your life you’ll probably want back.
Luckily, it’s the only major misstep. Much better are the handclap-happy “Troublemaker” and The Cars-aping “Carpe Diem”. “Stay The Night” packs a killer chorus.
The Clash meet The Smiths on the muscular rock of “Kill The DJ” as Armstrong growls,“Someone kill the DJ/shoot the fucking DJ”, while the penultimate one-two punch of “Sweet 16″ and “Rusty James” take a decidedly breezy route to pop happiness.
But, if consistency is ¡Uno! ‘s strength, it’s also its downfall. Like most of their punk heroes, Green Day have always been a singles band at heart. Without a couple of spankin’ big hits, there’s still something lacking.
¡Uno! is not the next classic Green Day album. But if you ever truly loved this band, this record might just remind you why.
