Courtesy of arntrnassets.mediaspanonline.com
By Desmond Ho, Staff Writer
29 November 2012
After ¡Uno! (the first part in Green Day’s new album trilogy) disappointed back in September, the band is back with part two, fittingly named ¡Dos!. I’m glad to say that ¡Dos! is a big improvement over ¡Uno!. Whether or not it has something to do with tempering my expectations after ¡Uno!, I’m not sure, but ¡Dos! is a pretty solid album regardless.
One of my biggest complaints with its predescessor was its lack of variety. That’s less of a case here, as the band draws more inspiration from ‘60s rock than from their old material. Most of the songs wouldn’t be out of place on a Foxboro Hot Tubs album, which was Green Day’s garage rock-inspired side project. The songs are both varied in style and structure, from the acoustic folk intro “See You Tonight” to the stripped-down closer “Amy.” Highlights include the bouncy, pure fun rock of “Stray Heart” and the melodic “Lazy Bones,” among others. However, the biggest standout in terms of sound is the track “Nightlife.” That song is to ¡Dos! what “Kill the DJ” was to ¡Uno!, in that it’s unconventional compared to the rest of the album and both tracks had to grow on me before I really liked them. “Nightlife” features guest rapping from Lady Cobra, which is definitely a first for a Green Day album.
The band’s hooks are as sharp as ever, but (much like in ¡Uno!) the lyrics aren’t Billie Joe Armstrong’s best. There aren’t any high school love songs, but the album does contain crass songs like “Makeout Part.” While the rest of the lyrics aren’t as egregious, they are completely unremarkable for the most part. It’s clear that the focus was more on the actual sound than on the lyrics.
¡Dos! is another solid Green Day album that doubles as a fun, well-executed tribute to garage rock. It’s a refreshing effort compared to the decent-but-stale ¡Uno!, and it rejuvenated my anticipation of ¡Tré!, the final installment of the trilogy.
8/10