By Adam Goetz
Rancid has enjoyed an enormous amount of success without completely crossing over into the mainstream, but with great success comes great expectations. Anyone will tell you a band is only as good as its last album and Rancid [2000] had some notable hits–“Radio Havana,” and “It’s quite alright” were great tracks along with many others.
The question is: "Does this one live up to their last?"
The answer is: "Kind of."
The first single, "Fall Back Down," sounds more like a Transplants song, and a couple other tracks on the album seem to have the same influence. Although the rest of the tracks are softer and, dare I say it, more poppy than their last album, "Arrested In Shanghai," "Spirit of ’87" and "Born Frustrated" are a few different-but-good highlights.
Pick it up if you are a diehard fan or if you didn’t mind the Transplants side project. Otherwise, the rest of you can start a "I liked their old stuff better" chant with the hopes Tim, Lars and Matt will release "… And Out Come The Wolves" over and over again.