User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 204 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 30 out of 204
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
  1. Sep 27, 2012
    6
    As a HUGE Green Day fan, it pains me to see them be so bland. Maybe this huge Green Day love is what prevents me from rating it lower. I don´t think Green Day has ever had a below average album since they became a band, but this is the closest they´ve come. I think while American Idiot had a perfect combination of epic melodies and great lyrics, and 21st Century Breakdown hadAs a HUGE Green Day fan, it pains me to see them be so bland. Maybe this huge Green Day love is what prevents me from rating it lower. I don´t think Green Day has ever had a below average album since they became a band, but this is the closest they´ve come. I think while American Idiot had a perfect combination of epic melodies and great lyrics, and 21st Century Breakdown had great songs but uninspired and kinda bad songwriting, Uno! has forgettable, poppy melodies and lyrics that aren´t very impressive. In a way, it takes the worst of 21stCB and combines it with the worst of Kerplunk and Insomniac, only to make these mediocre.

    In fact, mediocre is kind of the definition of Uno! On the positive, it isn´t awful in any part. It´s still better than any Nickelback album (as much as a merit that is) or most mainstream punk-pop or rock pop albums released as of late. Yes its basic in every way, but stand alone tracks save it from being entirely dull. "Let Yourself Go" and "Nuclear Family" are really good tracks, reminiscent of old pre-AI Green Day. Even "Oh Love", as poppy as it is gets a spark of entertainment out of me. On the other hand, it is the poppy sound that kills most of the album. Green Day may make good pop albums someday, but the attempt of making a pop album with a kind of rock out element as well backfires in this case. The pop is too bland and boring and the rock outs are small and insignificant. Lyrics are too simple, song structure is just the basic verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-finale structure and almost never changes it. Melodies consist mostly of a couple of chords repeatedly being smashed into your ear without much variation. No guitar solos or really anything to signal this is actually a rock band (or punk or alternative). I really hope the next two albums are better, because even if I didn´t expect a new Dookie or AI or even Nimrod, I really got disappointed by this. It´s worse than 21stCB because it doesn´t even get to be as enjoyably mediocre as that album was. If 7 months ago, I had been shown any of the tracks that aren´t the ones I mentioned before, and someone told me this was Green Day, I´m not sure I´d believe them. As an album, it doesn´t work because it is too disjointed. As separate songs only a quarter stand out as enjoyable songs to sing along to. It´s a 6 because I guess the factor of fun in the album is still present and some songs are good enough. But it is a long way from the Green Day album I´m waiting for.
    Expand
  2. Oct 8, 2012
    5
    Something of a return to form for the band after the absolutely dire 21st Century Breakdown, and heads back towards their sound at the middle of their career, Warning kinda time. There are some really strong hooks to be found in the album, but the songs and album overall are just devoid of anything to keep me coming back. Lyrically simple, repetitive and derivative this almost seems likeSomething of a return to form for the band after the absolutely dire 21st Century Breakdown, and heads back towards their sound at the middle of their career, Warning kinda time. There are some really strong hooks to be found in the album, but the songs and album overall are just devoid of anything to keep me coming back. Lyrically simple, repetitive and derivative this almost seems like Green Day have gone back to all their previous albums, and ripped off their own songs. Expand
  3. Oct 27, 2014
    6
    I remember being so excited when 'Uno!' first came out. I wanted to like it more than I did, but something about it was missing. Green Day trying to harken back to their old "Dookie" and "Insomniac" days works, but it's a massive step back from both those albums and the two great rock operas they produced prior. The album isn't bad, just unmemorable. It isn't boring, just uninventive. ItI remember being so excited when 'Uno!' first came out. I wanted to like it more than I did, but something about it was missing. Green Day trying to harken back to their old "Dookie" and "Insomniac" days works, but it's a massive step back from both those albums and the two great rock operas they produced prior. The album isn't bad, just unmemorable. It isn't boring, just uninventive. It isn't great, it's just okay. The only thing that I can say is truly bad is the production. It's borderline cringe worthy at times when they try to mix clean poppy productions with fast and dirty 3-chord punk tracks. Some tracks like "Let Yourself Go" and "Kill the DJ" are fun to listen to in their own unique way (the first being as close to their old sound as they'll ever get and the ladder being as far away from it as possible), but they feel kind of empty. Overall, this album is just sort of..."meh". Expand
  4. Sep 25, 2012
    5
    For fans of the two previous albums this will probably be a disappointment. Because Uno! brings nothing more than some nice, but not rememberable guitar solos and approx. 643 uses of the F-word. The opener "Nuclear Family" is one nice song but the rest is some boring pop punk stuff. Everything's very similar, it seems like they didn't spend much time in any of the songs. Not bad, but justFor fans of the two previous albums this will probably be a disappointment. Because Uno! brings nothing more than some nice, but not rememberable guitar solos and approx. 643 uses of the F-word. The opener "Nuclear Family" is one nice song but the rest is some boring pop punk stuff. Everything's very similar, it seems like they didn't spend much time in any of the songs. Not bad, but just not good, sadly. Green Day can do way better than that, but I for my share think, that their time is over. Expand
  5. Sep 25, 2012
    5
    Musically it returns to the "good old days" of Green Day. Listening to this and Dookie back to back, you can clearly hear that similarity. However, Billy Joe seems to have it in his head that he should actually be able to sing, so his vocals sound.. off. It's basically, 8 for music, 2 for vocals. Turn off all the effects Billy, also, don't be such a princess.
  6. Dec 19, 2012
    6
    Decent album. All the songs have the same sort of feel to them. Only a few songs are really good. Wasnt as good as expected, but Green day is always good.
  7. Oct 1, 2012
    4
    I'm a massive Green Day fan. I always will be. I own every one of their albums, and despite my disappointment, will purchase Dos and Tre. That said, this is another step down a disturbing trend for the band.

    21st Century Breakdown was the first green day album since the 80s that wasn't outstanding. Unlike previous entries like American Idiot, Insomniac or Dookie, there were songs
    I'm a massive Green Day fan. I always will be. I own every one of their albums, and despite my disappointment, will purchase Dos and Tre. That said, this is another step down a disturbing trend for the band.

    21st Century Breakdown was the first green day album since the 80s that wasn't outstanding. Unlike previous entries like American Idiot, Insomniac or Dookie, there were songs that were bland, unmemorable, or just flat out bad. Uno is like taking one of the bland songs (Last of the American Girls) and recording it 12 times. For an album that was supposed to return to their roots, it is thoroughly lacking in punk sound. It sounds like a bunch of old men trying to emulate their glory days, which unfortunately is exactly what it is. It is fake in every sense of the word. Say what you want about the political tone of the previous two albums, they certainly seemed a lot less forced both musically and lyrically.

    There is not one song on this album that would be in the top 75 songs Green Day has recorded. And that should say enough about it. I'd steer clear unless you're going down with the ship like me to satiate your nostalgia.
    Expand
  8. Aug 9, 2016
    5
    As a longtime fan of Green Day, I must state that this is, without a doubt, the worst album of their Uno/Dos/Tre trilogy, as well as the worst album they've ever put out. Aside from a few exceptions, the songs are lukewarm, bland and lifeless, with the hollow, too-clean sound of the guitar not exactly helping things. In my review for 21st Century Breakdown, I stated that their sound was atAs a longtime fan of Green Day, I must state that this is, without a doubt, the worst album of their Uno/Dos/Tre trilogy, as well as the worst album they've ever put out. Aside from a few exceptions, the songs are lukewarm, bland and lifeless, with the hollow, too-clean sound of the guitar not exactly helping things. In my review for 21st Century Breakdown, I stated that their sound was at its best on that album; well, at some point between then and the release of Uno, they went into a spiraling nose-dive into territory that, up until this point, they'd managed to avoid: mediocrity.

    It should be noted that there are a few fair tracks on this album--"Stay the Night", "Let Yourself Go", and "Rusty James", to name a couple--but these songs individually represent what the whole should be: a fun and catchy album that just makes you want to rock out, no matter where you are. Instead, the lyrics have a tendency to make you uncomfortable with the unnecessary inclusion of swear words in places where non-profane words would have served the purpose equally as well, and the screechy guitar that in some songs is completely overwhelmed by the other instruments creates a longing for the return to the days of 21st Century Breakdown.

    The singles, aside from my favorite of the bunch (and arguably the album's best track) "Let Yourself Go", seem out of place, and other songs such as "Stay the Night" would have, in my opinion, much better served the purpose. "Kill the DJ" has all the right elements for a fun pop-punk fusion: it's catchy and simple, with a main emphasis on the lyrics rather than anything the instruments are doing, clearing the way for the lyrics and their deliverer to serve as the main attraction and, in theory, provide an addicting listen that never gets old. The near-fatal flaw here is Armstrong's lyrics, which up to this point have been nothing short of stellar, perfectly suiting the needs of each song; here, the excessive profanity and violent tone give the lyrics an air of anger and their delivery feels forced as a result, when the best tunes of the genre should be upbeat (or at least give off that impression). "Oh Love", on the other hand, feels completely out of place on this album, as its slower pace and more nostalgic tone puts it at odds with the other songs on the album. This track truthfully feels like it belonged on Tre more than on Uno, as it shared traits with more of the tunes on there than it did on this one.

    As stated above, Uno is a mediocre, heavy-handed attempt at genre-switching, and is easily the worst album both of its respective trilogy and of the Green Day chronology thus far. Playing with a different guitar sound does not automatically you're now playing a different subset of rock, and the majority of the album feels like it was done with minimal effort and interest level. Aside from a few exceptions (which I'm sure you'll discover for yourselves by listening), this album isn't worth more than a single listen.
    Expand
  9. Oct 19, 2012
    6
    Puxando pela minha memória, acredito que o Green Day foi a primeira banda de rock que eu realmente gostei. Foi com o American Idiot de 2004. Isso já faz oito anos e nesse meio tempo minha admiração apenas aumentou. Talvez por isso o crédito da banda está bastante alto, ainda mais agora com o lançamento do álbum ¡Uno!.

    Longe
    Puxando pela minha memória, acredito que o Green Day foi a primeira banda de rock que eu realmente gostei. Foi com o American Idiot de 2004. Isso já faz oito anos e nesse meio tempo minha admiração apenas aumentou. Talvez por isso o crédito da banda está bastante alto, ainda mais agora com o lançamento do álbum ¡Uno!.

    Longe da grandiosidade das óperas rock do já citado American Idiot e do último trabalho deles 21st Century Breakdown, ¡Uno! marca a volta do trio para as raízes deles com um rock/punk/pop mais cru e menos pretensioso. É ótimo vê-los de volta a forma antiga, mas o resultado final ficou meio abaixo das expectativas. Não que seja ruim. Longe disso, mas tudo ficou apenas morno. Está lá o resultado de ótimos músicos que são os componentes do trio entregando arranjos caprichosamente trabalhados e com a cara do grupo, mas que perdem força devido ao fato de não irem além do eles já fizeram. É tudo muito certinho e até previsível em alguns momentos. Billie Joe está bem com seus vocais só que parecem ter entrado em um automático. As composições também escritas pelo frontman estão divertidas e com refrões precisos para fazer os fãs cantarem em shows e é só isso. Nenhum momento genial ou acima da média. Gosto especialmente da pop/punk/chiclete Kill the DJ (resenha a seguir) e da melhor do álbum Oh Love, primeiro single do álbum. Como primeiro álbum de uma seqüencia de três que vão ser lançados até o começo do ano que vem, o Green Day ainda tem mais duas chances de acertarem totalmente.
    Expand
  10. Oct 1, 2012
    5
    To be honest, I don't LOVE this album. I was expecting more from Green Day, but this album lacks variety and experimentation. All the songs are similar to each other and even similar to other punk rock bands' records. The only thing I like about this record is it defines the old Green Day, it goes back to their roots, defines where they came from and that's really amazing. I am now waitingTo be honest, I don't LOVE this album. I was expecting more from Green Day, but this album lacks variety and experimentation. All the songs are similar to each other and even similar to other punk rock bands' records. The only thing I like about this record is it defines the old Green Day, it goes back to their roots, defines where they came from and that's really amazing. I am now waiting for ¡Tré! (the thrid album in the trilogy) because "it will be geared more towards stadium rock and will have more of a grandiose sound complete with string arrangements and brass sections. The mood of ¡Tré! will be "reflective" and the album would be a "mixed bag" with the sound fluctuating from the punk rock feel of Dookie and Insomniac, the experimental elements of Nimrod and Warning and finally finishing with the stadium rock/ rock opera sound taken from American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown", as said by Billie Joe Armstrong. So I'm really looking forward to that. This album is so not up to my expectations and I wouldn't recommend anyone to buy it either. If you want to listen to any song, just YouTube the Goddamn song. If you still want to buy it for your collection then, go ahead. Nobody's stopping you. Expand
  11. Apr 4, 2018
    5
    The most meh album on GD's discography. It has great songs in there but they're too buried under waves and waves of mediocrity.
  12. Apr 25, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have soured on this album quite abit. The song writing is weak but atleast the instrumentals are pretty fun (even though they are very formulaic). By far the worst album from the trilogy but that doesnt make this a bad album.
    Best Songs: Kill the DJ, Rusty James, Sweet 16, Stay the Night, Nuclear Family, Oh Love
    Worst Songs: Troublemaker, Fell For You, Carpe Diem, Loss of Control
    Expand
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 32
  2. Negative: 2 out of 32
  1. Kerrang!
    Oct 19, 2012
    80
    What this amounts to is a sharp and often exhilarating change of gear from the Green Day of the past eight years. [22 Sep 2012, p.50]
  2. There are some parts you'll have to suffer through, but there are at least a handful of tracks that we can save and enjoy into the future.
  3. Oct 2, 2012
    70
    After all these years they can still write a catchy tune.