Album Review: Green Day - ¡Dos!

Pressing play on the second instalment of Green Day's ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tre! trilogy, I had to check that I hadn't accidently put in the wrong CD. Welcomed by a country-tinged acoustic guitar and softly sung vocal, things weren't off to great a start.

It's only at track three, Stop When The Red Lights Flash, that are we greeted with a catchy chorus that draws attention. And finally, in track four, Lazy Bones, ¡Dos! delivers something in the same vein as ¡Uno! – an album that has a surprising amount of kick throughout. They keep the ball rolling with Wild One, but unfortunately at track six, Makeout Party (the title's bad enough), things begin to take a turn for the worse. Cheap rock'n'roll knock-offs and cliché lyrics come flying out of the speakers in every direction and create songs that seem like they were rushed. With the release of three full-lengths in one year, it's not surprising that a lot of the tunes don't have much heart behind them.

The only songs that redeem the second half of the album are Stray Heart and Baby Eyes – two tunes that do a pretty good job of capturing the essence of what Green Day used to be all about. It's simple songs like these that Green Day do best; four chords, lazy drums and simple-but-catchy melodies.

The release of ¡Uno! offered a hint of hope to fans, but it seems one album was as far as they could sustain it. It looks like they are going for quantity over quality.