Rancid, that so-called "proper" punk band return with their latest offering. For some strange reason it is once again self-titled. Surely Tim Armstrong and co. could have come up with something more original than that. Anyway, problems with the title aside, Rancid is something of a return to your roots album. The ska-fuelled sound of their last effort, Life Won't Wait - which was criminally under-rated, has been replaced by a sound not dissimilar to 94's Let's Go, arguably their finest release to date. With an album clocking in under 40 minutes and with an impressive 22 songs, Rancid have returned to show the masses of pop-punk clones what the real meaning of the word punk is!
The harder sound of this album certainly won't win the band any new fans but it will delight long-time followers. The first two songs, Don Giovanni - a harsh 30-second song and Disgruntled - laden with superb bass lines, set the tone and style for what is to follow. Despite the heaviness of the sound, the style of Rancid always guarantees that the vast majority of their songs are infectious and you always find yourselves jumping along to their huge choruses. These include Radio Havana, Let Me Go and probably the best track on the album, Rwanda, a politically charged song about the named African country. The vocals are once again shared between Tim and Lars and both bring their distinctive qualities to the bands sound.
After a couple of listens the one flaw of the album becomes apparent. Songs like Loki and Black Derby Jacket sound very familiar, too much like previous tunes for comfort. This is no surprise when you realise that once again Tim Armstrong is responsible for writing every song on the album. Of course, it could be argued that familiarity is a good thing. However, this is not the case when a couple of songs sound almost exactly the same as earlier ones.
Don't get me wrong though; this is a very small gripe with what is otherwise another excellent Rancid album. The back to basics approach is a very welcome one and I would certainly recommend this to any Rancid fan. It is not the best Rancid record by any stretch of the imagination but, given the high standard of their previous releases, that it is not exactly a criticism. It appears that musically the boys, whatever style they employ, can do no wrong.
Mark
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