Green Day

¡Dos!

Written by: PP on 13/11/2012 19:25:11

The second part of Green Day's ambitious trilogy of albums was released last week, and it's already becoming all too clear that they should never have assumed it possible to write three consistent albums in such a short span of time without inevitable filler material sneaking in. Although perhaps 'sneaking in' is the wrong word to use here, as "¡Dos!", the 'party oriented' garage rock disc of the schizophrenic trilogy, contains almost exclusively filler material that should never have surfaced outside of their rehearsal space.

While "¡Uno!" had its problems as well, its shortcomings were masked by a few "Dookie" throwbacks that pleased the older Green Day fan in us who hasn't been able to entirely stomach their operatic and theatrical albums. These were catchy songs that stuck to your head on first listen, and reminded us why Green Day were once our favorite band. No bullshit, just simple, rock'n'roll riffs delivered through a mainstream pop punk platform.

On "¡Dos!" then, the band still stay away from the larger-than-life soundscapes they wrote on "American Idiot" and partly also on "21st Century Breakdown", but they are also entirely missing the youthful spirit and cheerful tunes that made their non-anthemic sound work so well in the past. Instead, songs like "Lazy Bones" and "Fuck Time" are uninspiring, boring tracks that evoke pretty much no reaction from the listener. Perhaps worse, they sound like B-sides to their side project Foxboro Hot Tubs, who were never really that good to start out with. And on a rare occasion like on "Nightlife", they commit sonic suicide through the inclusion of female rap vocals in the song. What the fuck?

"Ashley" is pretty much the only song worth anything here. Maybe also "Baby Eyes" if you really push it. But the rest is so far below average that the label should've outright refused to put out the second disc of this project so soon if it meant the result was going to be as mediocre as this one. If anything, this feels like a transparent money-grab where the band decided to record and release every single song they wrote for their next album in three parts to get their fans' money thrice instead of just from a single album. The downside of that strategy is that you don't get any value for your money. "¡Dos!" is the worst Green Day album by a long shot, you should avoid it unless your curiosity gets the better of you.

3

Download: Ashley, Baby Eyes
For the fans of: Foxboro Hot Tubs
Listen: Facebook

Release date 09.11.2012
Reprise

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