Tuesday 2 June 2009

Rancid - Let The Dominoes Fall

Rancid - Let The Dominoes Fall 6/10
[Hellcat]
The last time we heard Rancid was way back in 2003 when they released Indestructible. Now their seventh studio album comes packed with more than enough to make up for wait. And when I say more than enough I mean quantity, nineteen tracks in total.

Looking at the track listings you would assume that there would be some filler which is unfortunately true. Still it's all listenable. It's Rancid, not at their best, but still good. Tim Armstrong (guitar/vocals) said “The crew is back doing what we do best... We approached every element of this record as a team, and the result is my favourite Rancid record to date.”

Rancid may be considered a typical ‘punk’ band and that's something missing from this album. But, to ignore their ska and country elements is an oversight, most notably in ‘Up To No Good’ which features Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Booker T. You definitely pick up a country feel in ‘Civilian Ways’ which is a stand out track, a mostly acoustic song inspired by the soldier’s journey of Armstrong’s brother to Iraq and back home again.

The final song ‘The Highway’ really gets Armstrong’s point across “just wanna play one more song and make some music with my friends.” And Rancid really get that feeling of playing for the joy of it across. It an enjoyable album, maybe not worth the six year wait though.

Damon Fowler
Comfort in Sound

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