…And Back Come The Wolves

Rancid - Let The Dominoes Fall

Forget the Bastards, Brigades, and Poets.  Rancid is back together with a new album (their seventh), “Let The Dominoes Fall”.  Rancid is one of those bands that hold a special place in my rock and roll heart.  You see about 15 or so years ago I cut my punk rock teeth at a $6 afternoon matinee at the old Wetlands Preserve in NYC.  The lineup was The Queers, Avail, and Rancid, just as “Let’s Go” was released.  I had been to a couple of shows before that, but this was the real deal, the one that struck a nerve, the one that stuck and forever resonated with me.  This was the show that made me realize that there was finally a place where I fit in.  And I never looked back.

The version of “Let The Dominoes Fall” that I bought came with a making of DVD as well as a second CD of acoustic versions of a bunch of the songs on the album proper.  It was an extra five bucks or so and definitely worth it.  The DVD is pretty comprehensive and follows the band during the few months it took them to write and record the album.  The noisy black and white filter they used to film all of it is a little jarring and they could’ve done without it.  Basically it looks like the album cover come to life.  It’s cool for about 2 minutes then sorta just becomes annoying.  I doubt I’ll watch it again but it’s a nice bonus.  I really liked how each member went into great detail about what equipment they like to use in the studio and on the stage and why.  I’ll get to the Acoustic CD a little later, but first the album.

I had downloaded the first single Last One To Die a couple weeks back and heard a few of the tracks streaming online with P’s younger brother and I wasn’t bowled over or convinced that this was going to be a great or even good Rancid album.  Special place in my heart or not, I’m no Rancid-apologist.  I can admit where they’ve faltered a little.  To this day I still can’t get down with “Life Won’t Wait”, but much like The Clash’s “Sandinista” that one is up to debate.  After spending the last three days with this album though I can honestly say they proved my initial impressions dead wrong.  “Let the Dominoes Fall” is their best work since the 2000 self-titled album, which I loved.  And not to worry, new drummer Branden Steineckert fills the gap Brett Reed left with ease.

It’s definitely a well balanced album, probably due in great part to the band letting Mr. Brett pick which of the 30 or so songs they wrote would make the final cut.   You would think that having 19 songs on an album would be overkill but they all have their reasons for being there and I don’t think I’d have omitted any of them if given the chance.  Even when they get a little corny (Matt rapping on I Ain’t Worried and Tim singing about his “Honky Tonk Girl” on Skull City) I don’t mind cause they’re having fun and so am I.  Hell, at this point I’m putting it out there that I want Matt Freeman to do a solo Hip Hop album.  I’d buy it.  Seriously.  Also kudos to Mr. Brett for not only producing the shit out of this album but for also (along with Bad Religion cohort Greg Graffin) providing some oozin aahs.  And while I’m mentioning Rancid’s friends helping out, this album owes a lot to Vic Ruggiero of the mighty Slackers for some really standout keyboard work.  The band even got Booker T of The MG’s to come in and play with them on Up To No Good.

Lyrically we have some pretty standard punk rock fair.  Hating on corporations, greed and government, upping the punx and working class, and staying true to your scene (in Rancid’s case, the East Bay).  But more than that, Rancid proves that you can support the troops and not the war with songs like Disconnected, The Bravest Kids and Civilian Ways, all of which are inspired by Tim’s brother being in the Military.  You also get the sense that they’re not simply going through the motions of “Oh we need a working class anthem here and a song about how we never sold out there.”  They write and sing their words with conviction just as they always have and it comes though in the performance.  And it’s not like these problems ever go away so it only makes sense that bands have sung about them for years and will probably continue to do so until the world stops spinning.

The acoustic CD that came with the version I bought is really worth the extra couple bucks.  Some of the songs stripped down work better than the originals, LA River for instance.  And some don’t (I Ain’t Worried).  But overall the acoustic tracks are proof that Rancid’s music fits in with artists like Cash, Williams, Guthrie, and Dylan.  When you distill the songs down to their simplest parts they’re traditional folk rock tunes through and through.  Like these iconoclastic trailblazers of Rock, Rancid understand the importance of giving your message a catchy melody.  Oddly, the best track on the acoustic CD is the one that doesn’t even appear on the album, Outgunned.  Tim couldn’t put it better when he sings, “always out numbered never out gunned, we don’t back down to no one”.

I tried really hard before writing this review to ignore reviews on other sites.  I didn’t want to fight through any outside noise to get my thoughts out.  And while I still haven’t read any reviews, I have seen some scores and am getting the sense that “Let The Dominoes Fall” isn’t getting the credit it deserves.  Maybe some people are jaded (thankfully the Op Ivy song is now stuck in my head).  Maybe some of these reviewers never really liked the band in the first place.  But here’s the great part.  Rancid doesn’t give a fuck.  They never did.  In another couple years they’ll come out with a new album.  In between now and then they’ll sell out a bunch of shows.  Like their true fans they’re not going anywhere.  They are the last ones to die.  And they speak for all of us on You Want It You Got It when they say “punk rock is my religion”.

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