Ah, mid-90s punk. The radio friendly punk songs of Green Day, The Offspring, and Rancid gave us up-and-coming youths some anthems that brought out the rebel. Now, fifteen years down the road, Green Day is making bloated, politically-inspired "rock operas", The Offspring is remembering better times (seriously, what happened to them?), and Rancid has dropped another album of songs that look to copy the epic group The Clash. Personally, Rancid was always a favorite as they were able to write songs that incorporated a number of styles (that punk has been ripping off for years) such as reggae, dub, and ska while still writing amazingly catchy hooks. And they did it pretty damn well. In fact, Life Won't Wait is a 90s gem that is still underappreciated today. But alas, they have released a new album (their seventh) and things haven't changed (they even acknowledge their "survival" with "Last One To Die"). Nor have they improved. Tim Armstrong and company have issued nineteen more songs to add to their catalogue. But most are throwaways that will be forgotten after one listen. The problem is that Armstrong (whose faux-British, slurry, intoxicated voice) does not sing as much as he should. Rather vocals duties are distributed to the band's other members. And they just don't have the punk swagger that Armstrong possess. All the Rancid ingredients are here as they touch on ska, reggae, punk, political views and even Beggar's Banquet-esque honky-tonk Rolling Stones (with the excellent "Civilian Ways"). But the mix just seems watered down. The vocals seemed subdued and at times uninvolved. Maybe age is catching up to these rockers and the heart is not quite there anymore. Even though some of the tracks ("Liberty and Freedom") do still have bite on them, the album as a whole lacks a true passion. Isn't punk music supposed to brim with passion? It's an attitude you either have or you don't. Rancid still has it but time (and record company pressure) seems to be the enemy. I'd like to think that punk doesn't die. Unless, you have a band member with a serious drug problem. Even then you don't die, you just fade away (right Johnny Rotten?).
2.9/5.0
Standout tracks: "Up To No Good" "Disconnected" "Civilian Ways"
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho.
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