On Uno!, the first of Green Day's three albums this year, they bounced, brawled and, most importantly, had a few laughs with their mix of catchy pop punk and stadium rock, whereas follow-up Dos! seems a little flat and samey in comparison. It starts off nice enough with the Simon and Garfunkelesque, minute-long ditty See You Tonight, but then they get into their rather workmanlike work on F*** Time and Wild One is too caught up in its own thudding and discordant drudgery.
The album truly comes alive on Stray Heart, which is like the Jam playing on Happy Days and is a fitting centrepiece. Strangely enough, one of the other highlights is Nightlife, the song rumoured to be Green Day's hip-hop song. In fact it is more like a slink, meandering Gorillaz-meets-Mariachi tune. It also includes the lyric, "My favourite colour is candy apple girl", which is not only one of frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's best lines but also a fine nod to his American punk rock heroes Husker Du. Their influence also comes through on the fast strumming and hell-for-leather pair of Ashley and Baby Eyes.
It's a frustrating time to be a Green Day fan with Armstrong in rehab, meaning tour dates have been cancelled and the band's 2013 tour plans, which were rumoured to include New Zealand, put on hold. But because of these delays, final album Tre has been brought forward to December - though you'd hope it has a bit more consistency and muscle.
Stars: 3/5
Verdict: Hit and miss second offering from the trilogy
Click here to buy a copy of Dos! by Green Day.
- TimeOut
