!Dos! Green Day

You can listen to 'Stray heart' here.

After having reviewed !Uno! here, let's take at numero due in the series of three new Green Day albums within a few months. I can only say: "I like it". Dos rocks, Dos swings, Dos is chock-full of sing-a-longs and superior melodies. Of course the band takes some songs to the edge of acceptable for 40 year olds, but on the other hand, let's have some fun sometime too.

The album starts off with a great song. The almost The Everly Brothers like 'See you tonight' is over before you know it and has nothing to do with punk rock. It's only a step to the next fantastic song. 'Fuck time' has some great riffs in the best rock and roll tradition, before it goes into this great chorus with a melody to die for and a fun solo as well. Yes, it's blunt, but then isn't this what some situation are like when there's nothing left to talk? The song itself makes up for all the bluntness as it is so much fun.

!Dos! may not have a lot to do with punkrock, but who cares? Only purists I guess. If a band can come up with glowing songs like 'Stop when the red lights flash' or great rockers like 'Ashley' or 'Baby eyes', it is in great form. Billie Joe Armstrong and friends are around for well over 20 years, so they have stepped into their forties. Wife and kids versus the great rock and roll lifestyle? That will undoubtedly play a role in the background. Still !Dos! is a mix of subtlety and brute force, leaning on melody. And whether I listen to 'Dookie', 'Nimrod' or 'American idiot', Green Day always has. So nothing's changed really. Green Day has become better at it, definitely more melodic and after small effects that work in a song. In short, that's called progression, while delivering loads of quality, as this is the second album in a short time full with great (punk)rock songs. And progression in life in general is a good thing, but hard to accept if you only want to hear that of old. (Look at the setlist that the Stones is celebrating its return with. Do I need to say more?) !Uno! and !Dos! deliver the Green Day fans a whole load of new great songs of which several will grow out to be favourites. And !Tre! is already in the shops I've noticed.

!Dos! delivers excitement, several great songs and a few new influences into the band's sound from 50s rock and roll, which is the basis of punk anyway. The best punkrock bands use history wisely. Green Day does so on this album.Two great albums out of three so far. Watch this space for numero Tre anytime soon in the new year.

You can order !Dos! here

or here