Green Day: Ranking Their Albums From Worst To Best

8. ¡Uno!

When they released a trilogy of albums toward the end of 2012, it had been more than a decade since Green Day released an album full of feisty power pop that didn't have an agenda. On the heels of their second rock opera, Green Day mercifully taps the brakes a bit, opting to release an album that, quite frankly, sounds perfectly happy to just exist. And that here-and-now mentality permeates this playful offering. This is hook-heavy, uncomplicated collection of comfort rock with nothing to prove. And although seeing a song called "Carpe Diem" on the track list might bring on some PTSD flashbacks of the self-serious variety, there's a reassuring slackness in the delivery that recalls "She" more than "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." That's not to suggest there's any major regression in their musicianship. No, they sound tighter and more skillful than ever, displaying an attention to detail that alluded them in the early 90s. There are a couple missteps that a more judicious album would have avoided ("Kill the DJ" is an awkward bit of "straight up dance music" that also shoehorns anti-religion rants and a line about waterboarding into the mix), but for the most part, ¡Uno! succeeds as an unabashed rave record. The one-two punch of "Loss of Control" and "Troublemaker" were custom-made for kids who like to party and can appreciate The Jam. Maybe it's just because this is an obvious good-time record, but even though there's a sure bit of fluff in here, there's nothing that demands to be skipped on repeated listens. Really, ¡Uno! could be the most underrated Green Day album of all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7bWJ7eFju4