iDos!

Post-revolution syndrome

Any top band has that album that divides its history into period prior and after that, a groundbreaking record that becomes a standard to measure the rest of the discography by. For the American ensemble Green Day this album is American Idiot. It will not be an exaggeration to say that it was that very effort that established in the minds of listeners the fact that such a controversial phenomenon as pop punk, the very title of which displays a great paradox, can indeed exist. Since this historic record was put out, nearly ten years have passed. Green Day are still held in high regard, and a mere mentioning of their title is welcomed with an approving and appreciating nod. Yet no one counts on the release of another American Idiot. Because history shows such things do not happen. What do you do after you have the best CD of your life released? Green Day started with just a great record 21 Century Breakdown, never claiming the laurels of its glorious predecessors, yet having simply very decent material. And three years later, the Americans embarked on a very special campaign, having three albums out in half a year, in shape of the !Uno!, !Dos!, !Tre! trilogy. We are going to speak about the second part, issued in November 2012.

Green Day are back in garage

Compared to the opening part of the trilogy, !Uno!, the sequel looks more intriguing. The secret is simple: the sounding of !Dos! lavish callbacks to the early period of the band’s activity, the so called garage era, when everything was recorded with cheaper and older equipment, and the audience would fall not for the professionalism, but rather for the adolescent enthusiasm of the performers. As a matter of fact, the soft acoustic start See You Tonight actually brings up association with times before Green Day were formed. The retro atmosphere that set it so easily creates a particular charm to this album, and it is consolidated by the narrative nature. At least half the set is bound by a story of a man hoping to get a reciprocate feeling from a woman he admires. The events here unfold swiftly because most of the songs fit in three minutes. To make it even more like cinema, Green Day close !Dos! with another acoustic tune, Amy. However, the lead single and main radio hit is a track with a more traditional sound, Stray Heart, combining guitars of the eighties and rhythms of contemporary pop. What will definitely please both old and new fans is vibrating Stop When The Red Light Flash, and Makeout Party, as well as emotional Lazy Bones.

!Dos! is when wishes come true

Basically, when a performer announces plans to release not one, not two, but a whole lot of thee full-lengths in a short period of time, it is difficult to tackle a suspicion that every second song on these CDs will prove to be a filler. At best, all the three albums will be alike like brothers, and material once played well will transfer to the other two records in just a slightly modified shape. !Tre! is yet on its way to the world, but so far, luckily, it may be said that Green Day follow a different scenario. !Dos! does have arguable episodes, but even they do not call for outmost negative reaction or feeling of disappointment. experimental Nightlife with female rapper Lady Cobra is taken, if not gleefully, than as an interesting addition, fun amusement which, if you like, you can easily skip. Actually, the attempt to go retro itself is made professionally and wisely. Having left their youth long ago, Green Day do not try to play naive and pink-cheeked boys longing for fame and recognition. The whole set sounds very natural and true to life. !Dos!, essentially, becomes a journey into the past of the ensemble, but, as always with Green Day, it is done not because it must be done, or because these are the rule of the game, but because the musicians want it that way.