¡Dos! ¡Uno! ¡Tres!

The aptly titled album ¡Dos! is the second instalment in the rapid-fire trilogy that Green Day now has released. This album is a bit less clean than ¡Uno!, playing to a garage rock style vibe. Armstrong went as far to describe this as a second Foxboro Hot Tubs album. If you have heard of the Foxboro Hot Tubs, then you will know that they have a raw musical style, which can be quite easily applied to ¡Dos! as well. In fact one of the songs ‘F*** Time’ is actually originally a Foxboro Hot Tubs song.

¡Dos! was released roughly a month after ¡Uno!, and one can clearly see a link between the two. A fast paced style, with strong power-chords and a lack of ballads are common traits to both albums. One can best describe ¡Dos! by being the music when you are in full flow of the party, while ¡Uno! prepared you for the party. Thus it has a bit more bite than before. Another contrast between this album and the other two of the trilogy, is the fact that ¡Dos! has 13 songs on it, instead of 12. This last song to be added is a stunning song in homage to Amy Winehouse, which I will discuss later.

The only single released from this album was ‘Stray Heart’. A great song, which lives off the great bass and addictive lyrics, to say it simply, it’s a great piece of music. Sadly, Armstrong’s trip to rehab due to substance abuse cut short any kind of promotional tours or opportunities to bring this single as well as the album to as many ears as possible. This may explain the relative sparse airplay this song has received.

Just like the previous article on ¡Uno!, I will be dissecting the songs that I feel that really define this album and give it its character. The first song that really struck me when I first listened to the album was ‘Lazy Bones’. It starts off in a manner not usually associated with Green Day, in fact the song is not like their style. They own the song though. The chords power through you, and the lyrics “I’m too tired to be bored. I’m too bored to be tired” and strangely (as well as sadly) seem to apply to my life. The whole song is piercing and was my favourite song for quite a while. The next song that really seemed to talk to me was ‘Nightlife’. It features Lady Cobra of the band Mystic Knights of the Cobra. Among all the high-powered guitar chord based tracks of the other pieces on the album, this song really does stand out. Musically, it’s slower, with a James Bond-esque bass line/ guitar riff throughout the song, Lady Cobra raps parts of her lyrics making for an intriguing musical mix as well as Armstrong’s vocals sounding as if they came through a faulty microphone, which adds to the aura of the piece. This combination makes for a very interesting song, which makes listening to it a pleasure.

However the theme of the song is also totally different from the album, if not the whole trilogy. The lyrics are peppered with words like “devil”, “blood” and “angel of death”. This really gives the impression of the character of Lady Cobra being “evil”, and Armstrong’s a hapless drunk. The song is much more heavy-hearted compared to the usual Green Day fare. In fact the vibe is so dark, that it affects the whole album, giving it a darker tinge than ¡Uno! or ¡Tre!.

The last song on ¡Dos! that I would like to talk about is ‘Amy’. As mentioned before, it is an homage to Amy Winehouse, who passed away in 2011. It is the most emotional and sincere song of the whole trilogy. A simple chord progression, that would sound amazing unplugged, as well as really heartfelt lyrics make this song an absolute masterpiece. It ends the trilogy on a sad note, and yet I could not imagine a better way to end ¡Dos!. Please look up the song on YouTube or something, as I promise you it really will be worth your while.

¡Dos! may be a garage rock album, yet the addition of Nightlife and Amy add a little something special, and it is this special touch that makes this album worth listening to. Even without those two, the other songs also flow nicely into each other, and would make an good album on their own, if a bit repetitive. If the album would be only songs of that calibre, it would be a absolutely stunning album worth 5/5. However I found on the whole ¡Uno! to be stronger and more enjoyable to listen to, while ¡Dos! is a bit weak on some songs. Thus I give this album a 4/5. Like in my last article, I would encourage any Green Day fan (in fact, even if you are a music fan) to buy this album, as there is enough good material on it to make it worth your while.