Punk-rock band Green Day had the world at their fingertips following American Idiot; They were certainly one of the biggest if not the biggest band in the world at the time. That album somewhat divided their loyal fan base into two camps: Those who latched onto the band's earlier punk sound, who started to deride the band for their newfound success, and those who thoroughly enjoyed American Idiot and it's political commentary. It seemed at the time like there was little grey area on the subject. For fans of their earlier work, Dos! is a reminder that things never should have changed. For some of their newer fans, you might be left thinking "This isn't the Green Day I know, but I like it." If you have never listened to a Green Day album before, this is as good of an introduction as you'll find. There is something for everyone here.
"Ashley" could be the best example of Green Day going back to their punk roots, as the high tempo thrashing from Billy and the rest of the crew is great. "You say that you're fine/but I know that you ain't/you're looking like hell/and you're no fucking saint," snarls Armstrong over the hyper propelled instrumentation. There is "Lady Cobra", the most rock and roll statement the band has recorded in years. It's a fun song, but it has some serious bite to it as well. The excellent and aptly named "Wow! That's Loud" is a rush of guitar solos that sees the band unleash into a frenzy rarely seen from them. It's a huge surprise and an extremely pleasant one at that. I really love the production of "Lazy Bones", which has a Strokes-level of bareness to it that is really welcomed considering the rest of the album is fleshed out and full sounding. A tight, concise rhythm section plays over Billie singing "I'm too mental to go crazy/i'm too drunk to be pure/and my mind is playing tricks on me/and I can't sleep tonight because I'm so tired/I can't take it anymore, I'm with all the liars/Like a prisoner of war," very revealing stuff considering his public meltdown and subsequent rehab stint. He's a rather troubled individual, and you can tell it's genuine here.
Instrumentally speaking, "Makeout Party" is really good; I just wouldn't recommend it to those who like their music to be partnered with meaningful or thought provoking lyrics. It's rather tacky and almost embarrassing to hear a man in his 40's shouting on about "Spinning the bottle" and "Make out parties from another dimension." Don't you think you're a little old for that stuff, Billie? What about the overtly named "Fuck Time", which has even sillier lyrics considering the messenger. Musically, it's above average stuff, certainly nothing that would damage the reputation the band.
The same can't be said for the truly awful "Nightlife", quite honestly the worst song I've heard of the year. It's that bad. Listen to it solely for purpose of learning what not to do when crossing over genres. I don't know how this one made it onto the final disc. Slightly better but still not that good is "Wild One", a numbing affair of repetition and banality. It's just not particularly interesting material. Lead single "Stray Heart" has a warm, bouncing bass line, although that is the lone redeeming quality here. It's too poppy for my taste. The same goes for "Baby Eyes"; It's not bad, it's just not my taste. In my opinion, it's a little too soft and safe. The opening track "See You Tonight" is pretty boring, which is made bearable since the song is short. Once again, It didn't really need to be included.
The fact that Dos! is an above average album should be a feather in the cap of Green Day, considering the two increasingly lackluster albums that preceded it. It gives hope that maybe, just maybe, Green Day isn't out of ideas just yet. 78/100
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