Reminiscent of how 21st Century Breakdown starts, “See You Tonight” is a soft and simplistic start to Dos!, getting our hopes up that this journey will be as gripping as their 2009 album. “Fuck Time” follows the short and sweet beginning and all hope of the album being more engaging than Uno! is completely destroyed with this very awkward number about aggressive sex. Billie Joe, Mike and Tre might be nostalgic and missing their younger and more adventurous selves, but it’s pretty uncomfortable listening to men over 40 sing about sex in the manner that a 17 year-old would having just discovered the act. The song falls into the trap of a group trying far too hard to bring back an attitude they buried a long time ago, as do songs like “Wild One” and “Makeout Party”, both of which are less than wild tunes with uninspiring lyrics and chord patterns we’ve heard so many times before. It can be said that the rebellious three would gain much more from changing their outlook again as they have done so successfully in the past, but when they try to do so with songs like “Nightlife” it’s clear that a new direction may need some more thought, as this RnB and rock hybrid is extremely cringey and really doesn’t suit them. The input of the awkwardly seductive female vocals of “Lady Cobra” might be in keeping with the pop culture of today, but the fans will be hanging their heads in despair when they hear this one. The songs that come closest to regaining that electrifying edge Green Day once had are numbers like “Ashley” and “Baby Eyes” which both capture the wrath and ferocity we love to hear coming from the band so often. However, an album cannot survive on the reputation of just two acceptable songs. Dos! suggests that Green Day had best conjure up something masterful on Tre!, before we start pointing and laughing.
Commendations
The aforementioned “Ashley” and “Baby Eyes” are an enjoyable and nostalgic pair of tracks, and some other songs on Dos! are not unpleasant to listen to, despite a general inability to really engage with listeners on an emotional level. Once again as always, the album is masterfully produced with immaculate sound quality and the psychedelic artwork is very appealing and eye-catching. It’s just a real shame that the CD behind the cover doesn’t reflect that promised excitement.Next Steps
It seems that Dos! and its predecessor Uno! have both fallen into the same trap, Dos! perhaps falling a little deeper. They have both expressed that Green Day are strongly missing their youth and that exhilarating thrash they used to have about their sound. While we can appreciate their efforts to dig up the past and rework it, perhaps it’s time to accept that it’s long gone and there’s no point in poking around to see if it might come back to life all of a sudden.The trio would really benefit from working on some material that relates to the frustrations they’re experiencing now, which we’ve discovered very little about apart from perhaps Billie Joe’s current addiction troubles evoked through the song “Amy,” dedicated to Amy Winehouse. Based on the average turn out of the first two albums of the trilogy, there isn’t much hope for the content of Tre! but let’s keep our fingers crossed that Green Day pull off another brave U-turn and bring their charisma back to life.
First published by : www.puluche.com
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