Alternative Press reviews ¡TRE!

[Jason Fox]

They gave iDos! an 8/10 though. And he/she didn't shred it. They just said that they thought 8th Avenue Serenade and Drama Queen were weak tracks, that Brutal Love sounds like a Bring It On Home To Me rip off, and that Dirty Rotten Bastards just felt random as hell. The main critism of the album is that it doesn't feel like a unit, its like a Frankenstein monster of songs, it lacks cohesion, like a Greatest Hits album.

A cohesive album is an album that captures where a band is at, and in what direction they're going. iTre! doesn't seems to move in a particular direction, it's all over the place. It can't really be labeled as something like iUno! (Powerpop) and iDos! (Garage).

I understand what you were saying, I just have to admit I thought is was a little harsh, even if it didn't have much of a theme. I don't know... I guess we'll see soon enough.

[ChelseaDagger]

Who else plans on making their own ¡UNO...DOS...TRÉ! mix when the time comes? Come on... you know you want to.

You're damn right I want to. Totally doing this!

[Cob]

I personally don't think I'll be making an Uno Dos Tre mix when it comes out, I want to listen to all 37 songs all the way through, even if it wasn't meant to be listened to that way. I'll just make a playlist of all three albums, start with Nuclear Family, put it on shuffle, and then GO!

[BlackBaboon]

So far my playlist would go

1. Nuclear Family

2. Kill the DJ

3. Troublemaker

4. Oh Love

5. Stop When the Red Lights Flash

6. Lazy Bones

7. Wild One

8. Stray Heart.

I'm confident that Tre! will fill out the list to create at the very least an epic single album. I already believe I'll be including 99 Revolutions and The Forgotten, but I don't want to jump to conclusions before the songs are even released.

[Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap]

I'd have to say that's quite a good review. I already know Drama Queen and The Forgotten are terrible, so I'm on board with the criticisms of those. "One of the limpest things Green Day have ever recorded", absolutely. It did give me the distinct impression that it will be an interesting experience to listen to this record in full for the first time, knowing that I have most of the Uno Dos Tre playlist already created and subconsciously I'll be looking for the tracks to complete it.

[Tooooooooooooom]

Really don't get the hate for The Forgotten. Drama Queen maybe (its ok, but a tad boring), but if you try to forget the Forgotten's video (and that it has anything to do with Twilight) I'm sure it would be much better recieved.

[Trotsky]

The Forgotten is an alright song but it falls short of its potential. My first impressions of 99 Revolutions and X-Kid make me think I will like both of those, and Drama Queen is enjoyable enough. I have a feeling Tre will be favorite album of the trilogy. Probably when the dust settles I'll have one album's worth of new Green Day songs I like to listen to.

[WrongWayToSalvation]

Really don't get the hate for The Forgotten. Drama Queen maybe (its ok, but a tad boring), but if you try to forget the Forgotten's video (and that it has anything to do with Twilight) I'm sure it would be much better recieved.

A lot of it has to do with the lyrics. They're just cliche (Lines like: "A child left behind/We share our scars from our abandon/Another moment trapped in time/And we all go down in history", they're just cringworthy, which it might be more for me because I study a lot of lyrics and poetry from a wide variety of artists) , and try to seem more complex than they really are. Complexity shines through simplicity and a good flow, not faux convulated lines. And just the rhyme structure and the rhymes themselves are sort of amaturish in a way. Also, the song does sort of end abruptly. It would have made a much bigger impact to keep the piano going, and just have the strings and piano with no drums or bass. The rising strings is a good end, but it just ends too quickly. Its the outro track to the trilogy, it shouldn't feel abrupt.

[Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap]

Really don't get the hate for The Forgotten. Drama Queen maybe (its ok, but a tad boring), but if you try to forget the Forgotten's video (and that it has anything to do with Twilight) I'm sure it would be much better recieved.

What don't you get? That review pretty expertly describes how horrible it is. Limp.

"attempt at being John Lennon, but the sappy piano ballad is one of the limpest things the trio have ever recorded, better suited for Elton John than punk-rock loyalty."

Except that's selling Elton John hugely short. The lyrics are awful, a list of cliches and rehashed lines from his own better songs. Also it being in Twilight has nothing to do with people's opinion of the song. It's like a worse 21 Guns, at least that had an anthemic chorus even though it was self consciously anthemic.

[Tooooooooooooom]

The Forgotten is an alright song but it falls short of its potential. My first impressions of 99 Revolutions and X-Kid make me think I will like both of those, and Drama Queen is enjoyable enough. I have a feeling Tre will be favorite album of the trilogy. Probably when the dust settles I'll have one album's worth of new Green Day songs I like to listen to.

A lot of it has to do with the lyrics. They're just cliche (Lines like: "A child left behind/We share our scars from our abandon/Another moment trapped in time/And we all go down in history", they're just cringworthy, which it might be more for me because I study a lot of lyrics and poetry from a wide variety of artists) , and try to seem more complex than they really are. Complexity shines through simplicity and a good flow, not faux convulated lines. And just the rhyme structure and the rhymes themselves are sort of amaturish in a way. Also, the song does sort of end abruptly. It would have made a much bigger impact to keep the piano going, and just have the strings and piano with no drums or bass. The rising strings is a good end, but it just ends too quickly. Its the outro track to the trilogy, it shouldn't feel abrupt.

I fully understand your points about the lyrics, though I think they're meant to sound somewhat emphatic and sort of final (?). I think sometimes people can get TOO hung u on lyrics though, whereas I'm much more weighted towards melody, which I think is, if a little repetitive, soft and beautiful. I'll agree to disagree however.

[BlackBaboon]

Really don't get the hate for The Forgotten. Drama Queen maybe (its ok, but a tad boring), but if you try to forget the Forgotten's video (and that it has anything to do with Twilight) I'm sure it would be much better recieved.

I actually like the song, but it feels lazily written because Billie is using lines from his old songs. Surely he must have a new manner of expression? The biggest problem with his lyrics historically has been his habit of falling back on cliches and in The Forgotten he not only uses cliches, he creates his own from his own catalog. This is one of the reasons I have said I think the trilogy was hastily concocted, which I've received a great deal of hate for. Many of the lyrics on these records feel like first draft rhyme scheme fillers that never got edited out. That said, I do like the sound of the track and the closing lines may be cheesy for some, but they hit me somewhere special.

[WrongWayToSalvation]

I fully understand your points about the lyrics, though I think they're meant to sound somewhat emphatic and sort of final (?). I think sometimes people can get TOO hung u on lyrics though, whereas I'm much more weighted towards melody, which I think is, if a little repetitive, soft and beautiful. I'll agree to disagree however.

Just because the lyrics are suppose to conceptually detail a finale doesn't mean they have to feel cliche and tacked on. It's like when some music artists think that adding strings or a piano to a song automatically makes it "deeper" and more "meaningful". It just feels like they're trying too hard, they aren't letting it flow. Hell, just the title of the song feels cliche. THE Forgotten. Forgotten by itself would be fine, nothing wrong with that. But the THE gives it this inflated feeling of self-importance, like "Oh, this song is gonna be sooo deep and impactful". This song just needed simplistic lyrics. The chorus of the song "Don't look away..." works fine, but the verses just bring it down.

I actually like the song, but it feels lazily written because Billie is using lines from his old songs. Surely he must have a new manner of exp<b></b>ressi&#111;n? The biggest problem with his lyrics historically has been his habit of falling back on cliches and in The Forgotten he not only uses cliches, he creates his own from his own catalog. This is one of the reasons I have said I think the trilogy was hastily concocted, which I've received a great deal of hate for. Many of the lyrics on these records feel like first draft rhyme scheme fillers that never got edited out. That said, I do like the sound of the track and the closing lines may be cheesy for some, but they hit me somewhere special.

The trilogy was quickly concocted, pratically every song they played at the secret shows were put onto the albums. Every single one. We haven't had a single b-side or anything. They tried to fill the tracklists as much as they could, that's apparent. Plus Billie said it himself, he threw out whatever line and melody popped into his head. That's not always the best idea, it's better to formulate than just to hastily slap together. iUno! and iDos! don't stand well on their own, because if one of those were released by themselves, without 2 more albums backing it up, a lot more people would be sorely disappointed.

[BlackBaboon]

The trilogy was quickly concocted, pratically every song they played at the secret shows were put onto the albums. Every single one. We haven't had a single b-side or anything. They tried to fill the tracklists as much as they could, that's apparent. Plus Billie said it himself, he threw out whatever line and melody popped into his head. That's not always the best idea, it's better to formulate than just to hastily slap together. iUno! and iDos! don't stand well on their own, because if one of those were released by themselves, without 2 more albums backing it up, a lot more people would be sorely disappointed.

I completely agree. I think the band was being more than a little generous when they called this stuff genius and said we would be blown away. I feel like they had eight or nine songs from varied genres, then came up with this idea for three albums, then filled out the idea for each record, not the other way around. On one hand, it's cool of them to provide fans with so many songs which might not have otherwise seen the light of day, but I feel like it's also disingenuous for them to blow these albums out of proportion like they've been doing. So far we've gotten two Shenanigan's with a handful of legitimately good tracks.

[Harinezumi]

They're suppose to be as subjective and unbiased as possible, that way they can judge the actual quality of the music.

Exactly. And they can't let themselves "like" something because then it wouldn't be an unbiased opinion. Anyway, I originally meant it as a kind of a joke towards critics.

[WrongWayToSalvation]

I completely agree. I think the band was being more than a little generous when they called this stuff genius and said we would be blown away. I feel like they had eight or nine songs from varied genres, then came up with this idea for three albums, then filled out the idea for each record, not the other way around. On one hand, it's cool of them to provide fans with so many songs which might not have otherwise seen the light of day, but I feel like it's also disingenuous for them to blow these albums out of proportion like they've been doing. So far we've gotten two Shenanigan's with a handful of legitimately good tracks.

Just watch. A ton of people will soon reply to this saying "But I LOVE Shenanigans! Its one my favorites!"

[Gregorovich]

So far we've gotten two Shenanigan's with a handful of legitimately good tracks.

Can't agree with that. There's a difference between songs which sound like 'filler' or 'b-sides' and songs which aren't very good. I'm not the biggest fan of Nightlife, for example (it's probably me least favourite GD song ever), but it in no way sounds like a b-side. The band wanted to experiment and clearly a bit of work went into it. Same for tracks like Troublemaker - I don't particularly like them more than GD's other songs, but that doesn't make them filler. They were clearly written with a purpose and all sound pretty unique. If you want a GD album with filler, look at their first record. I know this isn't going to be a popular opinion, but that record really is full of half-arsed tracks which all sound exactly the same. Not to say that there aren't gems in there, but most of them do sound like b-sides. Unlike Uno and Dos - though some of the songs may not be good in your opinion, they're unique and far from filler.

[favorite son 101]

We have already heard the songs he doesn't like (I personally like them) & says the others are even better. OMFG this is going to be Tre.........wait for it ......Pic !! !

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[WhiteTim]

If you want a GD album with filler, look at their first record. I know this isn't going to be a popular opinion, but that record really is full of half-arsed tracks which all sound exactly the same. Not to say that there aren't gems in there, but most of them do sound like b-sides.

Completely agree

[ThiagoMN]

You're damn right I want to. Totally doing this!

Already doing that...so far 14 songs made my cut...when Tré is released more will get in and some might get out. I'm sure X-Kid will be in it....and Drama Queen...even though the review said it was a weak song I thought it was a great one...

So far my playlist would go

1. Nuclear Family

2. Kill the DJ

3. Troublemaker

4. Oh Love

5. Stop When the Red Lights Flash

6. Lazy Bones

7. Wild One

8. Stray Heart.

I'm confident that Tre! will fill out the list to create at the very least an epic single album. I already believe I'll be including 99 Revolutions and The Forgotten, but I don't want to jump to conclusions before the songs are even released.

My playlist so far...a lot of the same songs as on yours and I'm sure X-Kid and Drama Queen and many more will be in it once Tré is out:

1. See You Tonight

2. Lady Cobra

3. Ashley

4. Sweet 16

5. Troublemaker

6. Kill The DJ

7. Nightlife

8. Lazy Bones

9. Wild One

10. Stray Heart

11. Oh Love

12. Makeout Party

13. Stop When The Red Lights Flash

14. Amy

[BlackBaboon]

Can't agree with that. There's a difference between songs which sound like 'filler' or 'b-sides' and songs which aren't very good. I'm not the biggest fan of Nightlife, for example (it's probably me least favourite GD song ever), but it in no way sounds like a b-side. The band wanted to experiment and clearly a bit of work went into it. Same for tracks like Troublemaker - I don't particularly like them more than GD's other songs, but that doesn't make them filler. They were clearly written with a purpose and all sound pretty unique. If you want a GD album with filler, look at their first record. I know this isn't going to be a popular opinion, but that record really is full of half-arsed tracks which all sound exactly the same. Not to say that there aren't gems in there, but most of them do sound like b-sides. Unlike Uno and Dos - though some of the songs may not be good in your opinion, they're unique and far from filler.

Well just to defend that first record, it was comprised of various small releases I believe so it had songs that the band may not have even been overly fond of at the time. And they were much younger. I've actually really grown to like most of that record for what it is-- an insight into a band just starting out and a stepping stone toward something better-- but point understood nonetheless. I actually like Troublemaker for the same reason you listed. But from the first record, you could basically interchange Stay the Night, Carpe Diem, Fell for You, Loss of Control, Angel Blue, Sweet 16, and Rusty James. They all sort of blend together after awhile, which is my point. I think you could make a much better case though on Dos.

The thing about Dos is, I see it as a gift to fans, just shoveling everything they've got onto the record and sending it out. There are quite a few songs that musically and lyrically feel underdeveloped. So critically, it won't do well, nor will it enter the annals as a top Green Day record. When I think back to 21CB, I recall hearing on more than one occasion that the band recorded a Japanese bubblegum pop song. They would laugh about it and say it was cut for obvious reasons. Because it was an experiment, but it was not an experiment up to par. Obviously we have a difference of opinion, but I do think it's cool of the band to give the fans all these songs in succession, even if I'm not blown away.

[xLumian]

Already doing that...so far 14 songs made my cut...when Tré is released more will get in and some might get out. I'm sure X-Kid will be in it....and Drama Queen...even though the review said it was a weak song I thought it was a great one...

My playlist so far...a lot of the same songs as on yours and I'm sure X-Kid and Drama Queen and many more will be in it once Tré is out:

1. See You Tonight

2. Lady Cobra

3. Ashley

4. Sweet 16

5. Troublemaker

6. Kill The DJ

7. Nightlife

8. Lazy Bones

9. Wild One

10. Stray Heart

11. Oh Love

12. Makeout Party

13. Stop When The Red Lights Flash

14. Amy

NONE OF YOU GUYS LIKE RUSTY JAMES?!?

Here's mine

1. See You Tonight

2. Nuclear Family

3. Stay the Night

4. Stop When The Red Lights Flash

5. Fuck Time

6. Fell For You

7. Lazy Bones

8. Wild One

9. Stray Heart

10. Wow! That's Loud

Rest waiting on Tre

What I already expect to put on is

11. Drama Queen

12. X-Kid

[YoYoFantaFanta]

NONE OF YOU GUYS LIKE RUSTY JAMES?!?

Here's mine

1. See You Tonight

2. Nuclear Family

3. Stay the Night

4. Stop When The Red Lights Flash

5. Fuck Time

6. Fell For You

7. Lazy Bones

8. Wild One

9. Stray Heart

10. Wow! That's Loud

Rest waiting on Tre

What I already expect to put on is

11. Drama Queen

12. X-Kid

I guess my playlist would be this.

1. Nuclear Family

2. Stay The Night

3. Let Yourself Go

4. Loss Of Control

5. Troublemaker

6. Rusty James

7. Fuck Time

8. Stop When The Red Lights Flash

9. Lazy Bones

10. Makeout Party

11. Ashley

12. Wow! That's Loud

I'm certain I'd have 99 Revolutions and I want to hear the rest of Tre before I decide my favorites from it. I also will probably not make a playlist of the albums, these were more like my general favorites.

[YoYoFantaFanta]

A lot of it has to do with the lyrics. They're just cliche (Lines like: "A child left behind/We share our scars from our abandon/Another moment trapped in time/And we all go down in history", they're just cringworthy, which it might be more for me because I study a lot of lyrics and poetry from a wide variety of artists) , and try to seem more complex than they really are. Complexity shines through simplicity and a good flow, not faux convulated lines. And just the rhyme structure and the rhymes themselves are sort of amaturish in a way. Also, the song does sort of end abruptly. It would have made a much bigger impact to keep the piano going, and just have the strings and piano with no drums or bass. The rising strings is a good end, but it just ends too quickly. Its the outro track to the trilogy, it shouldn't feel abrupt.

I feel like the chord progression and the strings make this epic sound to The Forgotten, but the lyrics aren't so great. The problem with the trilogy is the songs are kind of samey. I like them, but they're similar. Some songs are different like Kill The DJ, some common ones are great like Let Yourself Go and Nuclear Family, but others like Angel Blue are very similar to others. Also the trilogy is kind of like other punk revival bands' work this year (Days Go By, Self Entitled) it seems designed to get kids into their older stuff. It can still make badass songs that will stand the test of time for me as classic Green Day (Let Yourself Go, my favorite from the trilogy, is my 5th favorite Green Day song, as an example), but it could just be a way to get people into their other music, kind of like a gateway drug.

[Asa.]

I like the Forgotten's lyrics, even if they take from other Green Day songs...it gives it a "we've come so far" sorta feel.

[LazyCobra]

I don't think there's a Tre review thread yet, and this is the first review I've seen for it, so here it goes:

Green Day

TRE

3/5

Go Download: Amanda

By this point, everyone should realize Billie Joe Armstrong's admission into rehab in mid-September was not a publicity stunt: Green Day's touring schedule has been postponed indefinitely, iDOS! was released in November with minimal press to back it up and iTRE! had to be bumped up from its original January 2013 release date to try and keep the band's momentum moving while Armstrong was out of the spotlight. It is easy to dig through all three of Green Day's new albums to look for clues regarding Armstrong's alleged drug habit (odds are, you found some on Dos), but Tre is the cleanest, soberest record out of the trilogy. As such, it feels more like leftovers from the first two albums than its own cohesive work.

The album opens with "Brutal Love", a 60's-esque soul song that is practically a straight knock-off of Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me," albeit with louder guitars and a really sexy horn section. It feels like the morning after the wild New Year's Eve party that was Dos, and it gently eases you into the rest of the record. "Missing You" is a solid follow-up, carrying a Nimrod-era pop-punk vibe. The chorus of "I'm missing you/I'm missing you/You're not around and I'm a complete disaster/I'm missing you" isn't exactly going to win Armstrong any Pulitzers, but the sincerity with which he delivers his lovelorn message is moving.

Sadly, it's one of the few times Tre feels energetic and interesting. "8th Avenue Serenade" sounds like an outtake from Warning; "Drama Queen" is a plodding acoustic number that would put an insomniac to sleep; the closing track "The Forgotten" is Armstrong's full-fledged attempt at being John Lennon, but the sappy piano ballad is one of the limpest things the trio have ever recorded, better suited for Elton John than punk-rock loyalty.

But that's kind of the point; Green Day's recorded catalog sits somewhere around 200 songs, and that breadth includeds everything from sloppy covers of ska-core classics to nine-minute rock-opera suites. So why the fuck NOT write a piano ballad? Or a fun, if WAY-late-to-the-party tribute to the Occupy movement ("99 Revolutions")? Or another multi-part punk-rock suite that's a blast to listen to, even though it has absolutely no context ("Dirty Rotten Bastards")? Or another Nimrod-esque mid-tempo pop-punk number with bassist Mike Dirnt inexplicably singing lead for exactly 10 seconds ("Sex, Drugs, and Violence")? Tre feels scattershot and slapped together, making it difficult to enjoy on its own merits. There are definitely songs worth cherry-picking to add to your mega-mix of your favorite Green Day songs from this recent trilogy ("X-Kid," "Little Boy Named Train," and "Amanda" are our endorsements). But it's unlikely you'll find yourself wanting to listen to Tre on any sort of consistent basis.

Not sure if I like this review. We learn a lot about the songs, but they talk shit about a lot of the songs we already know we like.

How do you go download amanda like it says at the top!!!!????