Oh Green Day, how we’ve missed you.
In their 11th studio album “¡Uno!,” part one of a three-part album (“¡Dos!” and “¡Tre!” will be released in November and January). the gang proves that sometimes less is more. For those of you who grew tired of the ideological bombardment of 2004’s “American Idiot” and 2009’s “21st Century Breakdown,” fear not. Billy Joe Armstrong and the rest of the guys still know how to flat-out rock without the political agenda. And the results are incredible.
The album feels a lot like 1994’s smash hit “Dookie” with the clean, driving guitar riffs and the type of don’t-give-a-s*** attitude that embodied the band for most of its career. They’re back to complaining about girls and partying.
The first song, “Nuclear Family,” opens at a dizzying pace, with a strong ‘60s vibe and sets the tone for the rest of the album. Don’t look for songs like “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” or “Wake Me Up When September Ends;” you won’t find them on this album. Not to sound too cliche, but good riddance.
If you can’t listen to this album and rock out for the whole 12 songs then you don’t have a heartbeat. The album’s fourth song, “Let Yourself Go,” best summarizes the whole album with a hard, repetitive guitar riff, a frantic drum line, and Billy Joe yelling, “Shut your mouth cause you talk too much/And I don’t give a f*** anyway.”
It’s not edgy and it’s not gonna change the world. But it isn’t trying to and that’s what is so refreshing about this album. It’s old-fashioned catchy fun with Green Day. Yes, it would be a definite stretch to call it punk. It’s not going to piss anybody off, and the whole “we-don’t-care-about-what-you-say” stopped turning heads after the ‘90s, but who cares? It’s Green Day back to their old ways again. And boy, is it fun.