Critical Voices 2.0: Rancid’s Let The Dominoes Fall
Posted by: James McGrory in Leisure, Vox Populi, tags: Critical Voices 2.0
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Rancid’s name alone provokes immediate, visceral disgust. It embodies the punch-in-the-gut, intentional provocativeness the band has exploited for the past 18 years. But that great, gritty disgusting-ness is starting to fade.
It’s not like all punk bands sell out, but sometimes I wish they did instead of falling into the gutter, worn and beaten, mere shadows of their former selves (Against Me!, for example, manages to rock on New Wave even after signing to a major label).
When a band has written some of the 80’s and 90’s best ska and punk songs, how can it expect fans to be satisfied with a new releases that does little besides showcase how far it’s fallen? After writing such greats as “Maxwell Murder” and “Ruby Soho,” Rancid’s June 2nd release, Let The Dominoes Fall, just doesn’t cut it.
Maybe the record is aptly named for a band that had all their pieces fixed perfectly in place, but found solace in letting it all fall apart and starting again; but I wouldn’t give them that much credit. From the get go, “East Bay Night” sounds like a blatant knock-off of any of The Bouncing Souls’ releases from the past few years. The following track, “This Place,” brings out the teenage angst of a 42 year old punk-rocker.
Punk rock is played by the kids, for the kids, but there is no written rule that says a middle-aged set of men can’t continue to play their particular style of it. They’ve done it well up until now, even with 2003’s Indestructible. But the angst seems tired, and so do the voices. Tim Armstrong and company’s “woah-oh-ohs” seem like gentle yawns as they fade away into a slumber. The single “Last One To Die” fits this theme perfectly, as they preach “we’re still around” followed by a chant of the song title.
There are 19 tracks, so there’s bound to be something that someone will enjoy on here (maybe the ‘shimmy-shimmy-shake’ of “L.A. River” is good for more than just a laugh to someone out there). But you’d be doing yourself a bigger favor by just listening to …And Out Come the Wolves instead.
Head over to their MySpace to listen to the Bouncing So—err, Rancid song “East Bay Night,” and that song about how they’re unwilling to stop playing music.
Entries (RSS)
You’re completely full of shit. It’s easy to write such a review when you don’t understand where a band is coming from.
I agree with the reviewer. This feel of the music has shifted with some of the Power pop songs being somewhat forgettable and kid rock style power rap, probably influenced back to Rancid from work in the transplants.
I can see why they do this, they have been putting out albums for 20 years and they would become bored if each album was made to sound like the last. They are on their own label so whatever they want to put out they can.
I’m so happy that you’ve invested your mind so much in my review to think that a musical opinion matters in any way. You call me full of shit, but it’s easy to write a review no matter what mindset you’re preaching from. Hell, I could tell you why this is the best thing since sliced bread. Unlucky for people like you who are make statements that I’m full of shit, and tell me I don’t “understand where a band is coming from,” I can’t respect an opinion of someone who solely tells me my opinion is wrong without trying to refute it. Who the hell actually does understand where a band is coming from? All I know is that they’ve done better, and what they’re doing now is just tired. It isn’t an opinion, they’ve simply run out of ways to be fresh.
If you think I’m wrong Mr. Anonymous, please, by all means enjoy these songs and don’t let my opinion dwindle down the faith you have in your own. I applaud you for having invested emotion in something so meaningless though.
you suck, mr. man! i think it’s a great album!
i gotta wonder, what have you thought of the most recent rolling stones or aerosmith records? those guys lost their magic touches a long time ago….
Rancid was a band that I had paid attention to ever since I got …And Out Come the Wolves as a kid. They helped me get into punk at one point, but I’ve moved on. I wouldn’t even put Rolling Stones and Aerosmith in the same realm of discussion, as Aerosmith always played something I was never into, and the Rolling Stones aren’t the great band they used to be.
“how their unwilling to stop playing music.”
It’s how THEY’RE unwilling to stop playing music, genius.
What I had meant to say is “thank you, you’ve been very helpful”