Grade: A-
A band’s fans find few things more exhilarating than live performances.
So to say an early release of Green Day’s latest album is a strong substitute for a postponed North American tour is certainly a testament to the quality of its 12 tracks.
The band released its tenth studio album, “¡Tré!”, yesterday, closing its “¡Uno!” “¡Dos!” “¡Tré!” album trilogy a month early to accommodate front man Billie Joe Armstrong’s substance abuse treatment.
While “¡Uno!” possessed a back-to-basics, stripped-down sound and “¡Dos!” touted raunchy garage rock tunes, “¡Tré!” (a tribute to the band’s drummer Tré Cool, not a Spanish typo) could be described as the trio’s mixed bag.
The album opens with “Brutal Love,” an old-school country blues ballad, and closes with piano ballad “The Forgotten.” Both drag on a tad too long but enforce the album’s tone of self-reflection and showcase Armstrong’s improved vocal skills.
Sandwiched in-between are several compelling, radio-friendly rock tracks drawing influences from Green Day’s entire catalog.
Poppy songs like “Missing You” and “99 Revolutions,” a nod to the Occupy movement, could fit nicely on “¡Uno!”. “Amanda” is a more up-tempo version of the band’s earlier material about unrequited love.
“Sex, Drugs & Violence” and “Walk Away” hail to 1997’s “Nimrod” and 2000’s “Warning,” an experimental, yet polarizing album that undoubtedly influenced the trilogy more than many fans initially anticipated.
“X-Kid,” a tribute to a friend who recently committed suicide, quickly became my favorite track from the entire trilogy. Its pop-rock riff is extremely catchy, while its touching, yet somber message about regret and growing up fits nicely with the album’s themes.
Another standout track is “Dirty Rotten Bastards,” a six-and-a-half minute anthem crossing “Warning” single “Minority” with rock operas “American Idiot” (2004) and “21st Century Breakdown” (2009). It’s certainly not the next “Jesus of Suburbia,” as some expected, but I describe it as his shorter, sarcastic, drunken younger brother who has a little more fun.
My only gripe: Original track listings flip-flopped “¡Dos!”’s lead single “Stray Heart” with “¡Tré!”’s fourth track, “Drama Queen,” a ballad critiquing society’s changing views of women as they mature.
I appreciate the song’s message, but I believe it may have been better suited on “¡Dos!”, as “Stray Heart” would have kept “¡Tré!”’s pace at full-speed-ahead instead of abruptly slowing it down.
In hindsight, Green Day probably could have substituted a few of “¡Tré!”’s weaker tracks (“Little Boy Named Train” and “8th Avenue Serenade” come to mind) with stronger tracks from “¡Uno!” and “¡Dos!” to simply create an acclaimed “super album” to follow “21st Century Breakdown.”
Nonetheless, “¡Uno!”, “¡Dos!” and “¡Tré!” still work well as a challenging project and stand confidently on their own. “¡Tré!” ends the endeavor on a high note, while also serving as the most complete album of the trio.
Whether tackling the trilogy was the right decision can’t be entirely determined until Armstrong is healthy and the band begins promoting and performing once again, a date that has yet to be determined.
Until then, fans will undeniably enjoy and appreciate the diverse 37-song catalog — arguably Green Day’s most free-spirited, fan-driven project to date.a
