Rating 3.0
As it is very evident from the title of the album, this is the second of the three albums Green Day released this year, with the release of the album Tre! originally set for release on January 2013, although officially launched earlier on Dec 11, 2012. The release of Dos! was somehow short lived because of the short time gap between the releases of the two albums. In any case, Green Day released the official music video for the single Stray Heart from this album. The album starts off very much mellow, with the serenade-like song See You Tonight before going into more hardcore tracks like the song F**k Time, which would lead you to think that this album is going to fool you by making you think that it has a certain theme, when in fact, it does not have any singular theme.
What is somehow sad about this album is that at first it feels like a space-filler for a gap between the first album and the second album of the trilogy. The band definitely avoided getting a failing mark in this album by literally showing how talented they are as musicians. The lyrics sung by guitarist and vocalist BJ Armstrong show how much thought and imagination the band put into their lyrics. This much was evident in the song Wild One, with the melody being perfectly arranged.
It would take more than one listen to actually get into this album if you are not a Green Day type of person. The lyrics could be described as too forward just like the first album, although the forwardness here is on another level. BJ Armstrong described the album before to be more garage-y which would somehow associate it with the dirty sounding kind of rock. He was not kidding. This album will blow your head off with smooth bass riffs accompanied by some serious drumming which will make you tense with adrenaline.
Neither was the transition of songs left unmanned by the band, for those who listened to the previous albums of Green Day, such as American Idiot, the songs there had transitions from one song to another, which would make you think it is the same song. This one leaves you asking what were they on when they thought of this. Still, you could appreciate their unique way of welcoming you to the different songs of Dos!
The song Stray Heart can really get people pumped up for the release of this album since the music video was released prior to the album’s release. Immediately the bass line draws you in because of its very different 60s type of sound. It is a love song about a guy who realizes that there is only one girl that he really does want. At least this is what shows in the music video, too. It is very much the wish-I-could-be-your-man type of song. The band picked the right song for their teaser, undoubtedly one of the best songs in the album.
The song Amy, a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse, is just as good. The lyrics are very emotional as if they make you remember someone in your life that you held dear even for the few moments that you had shared with each other. It strays one away from negative thoughts coming from the other songs in the album you might not have liked. This song was highly anticipated by fans who know the context of how it was written. It is only fitting that the song is the last song in the album.
The first album Uno! was definitely better in terms of how catchy the songs were and how they were as a group. But Dos! definitely wins you over with the lyrics and how deep they all are, amidst the profanity and references to parties. This album asks you if you are ready for the third part of the trilogy, which absolutely leaves you without a clue as to how it will sound like, with the way the first two parts came about.
