¡Uno! - 1 Thing I Hate About You

Green Day - ¡Uno!

Released September 21st, 2012

Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool

Genre: Punk Rock / Pop Punk

Intro

Spoiler alert: this album, and the 2 others are really shitty. As the general agreement between us Green Day fans at this point, the albums as a whole suck ass, but there are some underrated songs lying underneath that deserve to be listened to and talked about. I would absolutely not listen to this album. Admittedly this is the best of the 3 albums, but if we're comparing everything else Green Day- this album is pathetic compared to older and even newer works (Revolution Radio).

Thoughts & Feelings?

I am going to be very critical of this album because that's the only way I feel comfortable reviewing this. Obviously as a huge Green Day stan, I generally think EVERY song is a smash, just because there's always something enjoyable to find underneath. Unfortunately however, this album falls so flat compared to their other works that I can only review this if I'm going to be super critical over it, so you will see a LOT of passes in the smash or pass.

This album makes me feel like I'm at a carnival, but there's ONLY clowns there. It makes me super uncomfortable to be here because there's no regular people, only clowns- like what the hell did I stumble into? I mean there IS some fun to be had I guess but overall I'm either creeped out or completely uncomfortable.

Lot of stinkers in this album. I remember being in high school when these 3 albums came out, and I just stopped being a Green Day fan for a while after that. I wanted no part of these 3 hot dumpster fires. This album goes completely opposite of how Green Day usually is supposed to sound. These albums are poppy and overall not Green Day. There's no energy or passion anymore.

 

Smash or Pass?

Nuclear Family - Smash. To be honest this isn't an amazing song but it's kinda fun. The chorus is pretty catchy, and I like the riffs going on underneath. I don't have much to say about this song because it's pretty basic.

Stay the Night - SMASH. This is thankfully one of the better songs to be looked at. The opening intro is excellent, the riffs work well for how simple they are, the verses are pretty enjoyable, and the chorus knocks it out of the park. This song is VERY fun and enjoyable. Probably one of the best this album has to offer.

Carpe Diem - Pass. Honestly this song just isn't for me. I think this song overall just sounds kind of annoying. I want to say this song sounds generic but I don't think that's the right word. More like... just bad. We're not in Dookie anymore...

Let Yourself Go - Pass. Honestly this song isn't BAD, it's definitely not as bad as Carpe Diem but I still just don't want to listen to it. The chorus is kind of annoying. I like that this one is more punk rock than anything so far, but it just sounds too processed. Where are the days of just raw killer sound?

Kill the DJ - PASS. What the FUCK is this? Like... YIKES. I can't fucking stand this song, it's a pile of shit. It's very surprising to me that this is the 2nd most listened to song on this album on Spotify. I hate this song. It just sounds so pop. It's like it's ALMOST good, but I think the way Billie sings on this one makes me want to throw up.

Fell for You - SMASH. Finally, some good fucking music. This one is great. It absolutely carries that Uno vibe, but this time it works. The song is groovy, it's enjoyable to listen to, and it's just overall fun. This song just puts a smile on my face and I want to sing along. Where are the songs like this one? With less processing, I could believe this song was on Warning.

Loss of Control - Pass. Honestly there's nothing really apparently wrong with this song. I don't hate it, I just don't listen to it. If I was being a little more lenient today I would give this a smash, but today that won't fly. The guitar is pretty cool, but it suffers from the Uno phenomenon- too much processing. This definitely isn't a bad song though, just not my cup of tea.

Troublemaker - PASS. Okay back to the shit. This song sucks and is so fucking annoying. NOTHING works here. It's hard to find something enjoyable about this song besides the short chorus. Honestly I don't have much to say, this song is terrible. Don't listen to it. OR DO? I don't fucking care I'm just pissed off listening to this now. It's that fucking clapping isn't it?

Angel Blue - Smash. Finally, some good fucking music. This song kicks ass. Finally a song that works. Verse is perfect, pre-chorus is great, and the chorus is perfect. The guitar rocks in this one, Billie's voice is great and smooth sailing. The bridge is kind of mid, but I REALLY enjoy the break afterwards. This song gets the green light from me.

Sweet 16 - Smash. Finally, some good fu- wait a minute, 2 good songs in a row? That hasn't happened in like... 8 songs. Anyway this song is great. I like that this song sounds like it doesn't try too hard. Just some nice slow and soft punk rock to make you feel something. The chorus especially gets me on this one. The solo is super nice too.

Rusty James - Pass. Honestly not the worst song I've heard (on this album), but it's not my thing. I can't really describe why I don't like this song, it just doesn't vibe with me very well. I like the pre-chorus a lot, and the chorus isn't too bad- it's just generic.

Oh Love - SMAASSHHH. Finally, some good fucking music. This is easily the best song on the album. The guitar intro is so fucking sexy. This song works so god damn well. Billie's vocals are on point, the guitar finally doesn't sound like it's been run through 60 pedals, I love the slow build up too. This song is so much fun and it just FEELS like an ending. The solo is also sexy as fuck. That RE-INTRO BABY, so good. MWAH great song thank you boys.

 

Conclusion

Like I said in the intro, this album sucks but there are some underrated songs. If you are a huge Green Day fan like me then give this album a listen but don't expect to be blown away. Green Day have proven they're still capable of making great albums even in their later years- just look at Revolution Radio. I don't think that the problem is they released 3 albums without cutting anything, I just think that they tried something new and it didn't work- there's not a whole lot wrong with that. Honestly there aren't many TERRIBLE songs on there, there are just songs that don't work. If they work for you- then great! More for you to enjoy in the next 2 albums I guess.

What are your thoughts? Do you hate this album or do you think it's tolerable? Let me know in the comments! Love y'all.

RANK: C+

- Sharky