Los Angeles finest return with their first album in six years. Carrying on in the musical direction of “....And out Come The Wolves”, their trademark blend of Clash tinged punk and ska rhythms, fused with hints of psychobilly, rock and even country, this album is a reminder of how good Rancid really are.
There are the out and out punk tracks in “East Bay Night”, “This Place”, “Disconnected” and “Damnation”, skinhead friendly tracks such as “Liberty and Freedom” and “Up To No Good”, the latter of which is a bouncy ska track that hints at lead vocalist Tim Armstrongs’ collaboration with The Aggrolites “Into Action”, the difference being that this time they’ve joined forces with veteran R&B keyboard legend Booker T Jones who drives the track along relentlessly.
Further examination of the album reveals country influences coming through on “Civilian Ways”, psychobilly riffs meet heavy rock on “LA River”, while “Skull City” and “Lulu” are more usual Rancid tracks with old school punk guitars accompanied by hip hip influenced vocals.
The title track owes more than a little to later Clash material, as does “Locomotive”, and “Thats Just The Way It Is” hits the middle ground between that and the Dead 60s ska-lite sound
All in all, an excellent return from one of the US’s most important underground bands, if you’re quick you may still be able to get your hands on the limited edition expanded version that includes an acoustic CD, three posters and four guitar picks, but I think that even if you only get the standard release, you will be in for a treat.
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03-27-2010 08:07 PM