Rancid, Indestructible Review
Posted by Ryan T. Murphy on 08.20.2003
Rancid return to their roots.
Rancid, Indestructible, Hellcat/Epitaph in conjunction with Warner Bros. Records, 2003, produced by Brett Gurewitz, all songs written by Tim Armstrong & Lars Fredriksen.
Hey let me let you in on a secret: Rancid are my favorite band. Have been for close to ten years now. For my regular readers, I'll sit quietly while you feign shock. Rancid were one of the principle three bands of the mid 90s punk resurgence that got me so hooked on music as a young'un. Ten years later, I still love their music every bit as much or possibly more than ever. Their new album Indestructible was released today and, like any good superfan, I got up and bought it first thing this morning.
Music reviewers are constantly having their credibility challenged. Any time one is a fan of a particular band or style of music, it becomes "bias" and people think they are blindly defending a personal favorite while not accurately judging the music. Seeing as though Rancid have been a favorite of mine for so long, one would expect me to be biased. Then I realized, when formulating this review in my head (as I often do while listening to new music), that I was almost viciously picking out even minor flaws or things which may be seen by others as being negative about this album. I wasn't really being honest to my own feelings on the subject, as fear of being accused of mindless zealotry made me hyperconscious of being too positive. So instead, I just chose not to worry about any of that and review it how I see it.
The album opens with the title track, which was dedicated to the memory of Joe Strummer, Joey Ramone, and Dee Dee Ramone. The song itself is an upbeat paced song with lyrics dealing with self-confidence and leaving a lasting image on the world. Tim Armstrong's vocals sound a little wavery in parts but remain pretty true to his usual style. Between the chorus and verse parts is an addictive little blast of a riff that adds to the song, and makes it the most memorable part of the song.
"Fall Back Down" is the first single from the album and the one most people have heard by now. Most people who I've talked to say they don't like this song because it sounds too pop punk. None of the other songs really sound like this one though, so those who don't like "Fall Back Down" are in luck. Myself, I think it's a good song. A really catchy melody and powerful lyrics with a good message of loyalty and friendship being the most important thing in one's life. The intro to the chorus also contains a little jab at Armstrong's recently estranged wife Brodie of The Distillers ("She's not the one coming back for you"). This is a bit lighter than most Rancid songs though, so those who aren't fans of punk with a more pop-oriented side probably won't get into it.
"Red Hot Moon" was one of the other new songs I heard at Warped. This is a song about a dead friend named KC (not necessarily a tribute, more of a story). Soundwise, this spans a lot of themes Rancid have used over their past 5 albums. The music is reggae/ska tinged like the songs off of ...And Out Come the Wolves or Life Won't Wait while the lyrics have the storytelling theme of a lot of the songs on Let's Go or their self titled first album. For some flavor, Skinhead Rob of Armstrong's other band The Transplants checks in with a rap verse at the end. Very catchy song and very classic Rancid, one that will definitely please old fans.
If you liked Rancid's most recent self-titled album from 2000, you'll likely enjoy "David Courtney". It's a slightly harder song, sung by Lars Fredriksen, and is about a Robin Hood-esque London gangster named, obviously, David Courtney. This is definitely a chant-along anthem, with the chorus of "All you motherfucker criminals will be suckers if you don't step aside for David Courtney" being memorable and chantable. This is the best rock-out song on the album, by far.
A few other tracks fit in with that slightly more hardcore sound; such as "Out of Control", "Roadblock", and the movie-inspired "Django" and "Travis Bickle" (a paean to the main character of Taxi Driver, of course). These are hit or miss, really. I like harder punk as much as the next guy but I never really thought it was Rancid's forte. These songs as well as the majority of their last album just struck me as trying too hard and a lot of them just glossed over a lot of the things I always liked most about Rancid, be it the genre-blending, the subtle tones in Tim's gravely voice, or even Matt Freeman's insane bass solos. Still, in the right mood these are fun songs to listen to and are all at least more cerebral than your average street punk/hardcore treacle.
"Arrested in Shanghai" might be my favorite song on the album. It's definitely the most understated; a soft and mellow island-styled personal song. The lyrical theme mainly deals with political beliefs, but takes it from an interesting angle. Rather than preaching or rallying, the lyrics to "Arrested in Shanghai" take a look at political activism (left wing, but I'm sure you could figure that out) from the stance of how it affects someone personally. They're about being ostracized by friends and authority due to taking up a cause; an unspoken plea not to be judged as a person for your own beliefs. In the wake of Sept. 11 and the second Gulf War, this song makes an excellent case for some levity and compassion in the double-sided ad hominem attacks that occur between political idealogies. Also, it should be noted that this song is very reminiscent in style of The Specials and other English 2tone ska bands, most of whom are very good and should be checked out by everyone who enjoys this song.
There's a little touch of keyboards highlighting parts of the narrative sing along style of "Memphis". This sounds almost like it was recorded as a regular Rancid song and then had a Muzak version layed under it but shining through at parts, as some of the drums sound almost automated. There's also a brief but intense surf rock solo at one part. This song as a whole is peculiar, as it seems really inventive and experimental for Rancid yet somehow doesn't come off as being drastically different than Rancid's usual sound. Lyrically, it's a ballad in Rancid's trademark storytelling theme. Not a bad song by any stretch, with a lot going on in different parts.
"Spirit of '87" and "Born Frustrated" are really punked out fast paced songs with catchy vocals that are great for fist pumping. "'87" also highlight's Matt Freeman's bass work in parts. These tracks are very reminiscent of Let's Go in that respect. Worth a listen, as they fall somewhere between the hardcore rockouts mentioned earlier and the more melodic classic Rancid sound.
"Tropical London" (referring to Melbourne, Australia) is the break up song. This was the only song to deal directly with Tim's divorce with Brodie, and also I'd imagine Lars's somewhat recent divorce from his wife. Parts of the lyrics highlight how crushed and heartbroken Tim has been over the course of the past few months, particularly in the writing of this album. But certain parts let one know that they're at least making an attempt to hold their heads high, as the chorus contains the line "If you lose me, you lose a good thing, that's one thing I know for sure". For those unaware, Tim maintains that he was not expecting Brodie to leave him at all and things had been going fine to his knowledge until she called him and announced she was divorcing him (at the same time period in which she first met Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age...), and Lars also claims to not have forseen his wife walking out on him. This helps one understand a little better that this goes far deeper than your run of the mill emo boy bitching. This song was fully meant as a therapeutic and cathartic effort for Tim & Lars as each worked out some of his pain over losing his wife to another man. Musically, it's actually upbeat and melodic, with vague hints of the reggae influence they've used so often. The vocals are also interestingly mixed. Usually when Tim & Lars sing in unison, they're on an even mix because they have such different voices that there's no bleed over. Here it sounds somewhat like Tim is supposed to be in the forefront while Lars just accents his words, which I found interesting. The title is in referrence to where Tim & Brodie met so I'd imagine that the focus of it was supposed to be somewhat more focused on Tim's more public divorce, but Lars is an ever present factor in it and hopefully he is taking his divorce well.
One wouldn't expect Africa to be such an omnipresent force in the music of a punk band from California, but two songs in a row have some kind of tie to the continent. "Back Up Against The Wall" is a song which alternates between calm and mellow parts to upbeat and rich punk. This song has brief breaks of African tribal drums in the mellow parts, which help in adding some atmosphere to the track. "Ivory Coast" (much like their previous song "Rwanda" and the Transplants' "Diamonds and Guns") talks about the political nightmare that is going on in Africa, particularly with the corrupt governments and criminals running things that let their own citizens work basically as slaves for mining diamonds while showing no qualms in killing them one by one or in mass genocide if they do anything subversive. It's an issue apparently close to the heart of the Rancid crew and a political cause that often gets overlooked. Speaking of the Transplants, "Stand Your Ground" has that same influence as there are little piano parts and an almost hip hop sounding beat in parts, even adding turntable scratches in.
"Otherside" brings the album to a close. It begins with a snarled "na na na na" chant and is a fast and thoroughly punk sounding number that is still melodic and catchy. This song was Rancid's tribute to Lars's brother who was a close friend of the whole band and recently passed away. This one is more of a tribute than anything but isn't somber or depressing. It's a quick song that comes abruptly to a halt but makes a great closer to an album that was already founded on the concept of overcoming personal tragedy.
All in all, I wasn't disappointed with this album. It seemed to be a return to the classic Rancid sound, although peppered with new elements. Some songs were immediately catchy and some grew on me later, while nearly all seemed to have an interesting story to tell and engaged the listener. However, there were tracks that stood out a lot and then there were some that just seemed to get lost in the shuffle, making parts of the album somewhat immemorable. I think this was an improvement over their last album but I'm not sure it quite lives up to the high standard of ...And Out Come the Wolves or Life Won't Wait. If you're a Rancid fan, then this would make for a good purchase as it is reminiscent of a lot of their earlier works. If you aren't as familiar with Rancid's work though, I wouldn't recommend picking this album up first; the songs won't immediately jump out at you and it doesn't work quite as well as a whole.
The 411: Rancid fans will be pleased with this painstakingly personal effort by a band who I make no qualms about saying is my favorite. Those new to the Rancid sound should probably start somewhere else in building your Rancid fandom but for any long time listeners of this band, there will be enough here to intrigue you. Also, the lyrical themes are excellent at addressing hardship and pain without being overblown and whiny or pitiable, and certainly skirt the line of talking about depressing subjects without ever once making the listener feel depressed. Worth at least a plaintive listen for anyone.
