Rancid "Let the Dominoes Fall" (Expanded Edition)

Let the Dominoes Fall
Rancid
(Hellcat Records, 2009)

“We got it right / You got it wrong / We’re still around.” So goes the chorus to lead single ‘Last One to Die’ but did anybody ever really question if Rancid was still around? Sure it took some time (read six years) to put this record out, but we all knew it was coming, right? So has the band in fact got it right on this seventh record?

Strip away the initial anticipation over a new Rancid release and you start to notice that ‘Let the Dominoes Fall’ isn’t that strong of a record. Yes it’s typical Rancid fare but it’s not nearly the calibre of ‘Life Won’t Wait’ or ‘...And Out Come The Wolves’. On its own merits, away from the bands past body of work, it’s perfectly passable with some impressive moments (notably the aforementioned single) but certainly not revolutionary in attitude.

Glossing over the poppiness of ‘Indestructible’ and the hard-punk direction of ‘Rancid V’ this new album proves to be the bands most ska/reggae influenced album since ‘Life Won’t Wait’. There’re organs aplenty and even some brass. Add to this an accordion, violin and viola and you start to get a bit more of a worldly sense which although thinking out of the box always manages to sound like Rancid.

There’s a definite sense resonating throughout this album of frontman Tim Armstrong’s 2007 solo effort, ‘A Poets Life’. ‘Civilian Ways’, and ‘Liberty and Freedom’ both sound as though they could have been clipped from that album. You can throw into that bracket ‘That’s Just the Way It Is Now’ which also happens to double as a Transplants influenced track. It’s not that surprising in a musical climate that is lapping up acoustic artists (Frank Turner, Tom Gabel, Chuck Ragan) that another band is taking that particular fork in the road. Does it work? Actually, yes. Some of the better songs on the album tend to be the more mellow offerings.

With each Rancid album released the discussion rolls as to whether Lars Frederiksen’s vocals have been used effectively. There’s definitely an argument here that there could be more from the big Dane, although his contribution to ‘I Ain’t Worried’ is a little dubious. Armstrong’s vocals on the other hand continue to become slacker, which at times (‘Dominoes Fall’) works perfectly for the record but at others (‘Disconnected’) proves a real turn off.


(Expanded edition)

With physical music sales plummeting special and limited editions are becoming more and more prominent. Hats off for this ‘expanded’ edition that came out the same day as the feature disc (there’s no Roadrunner six month preening period here), giving the concerned consumer a choice from the off. That said this is almost certainly a ‘fans only’ affair.

First up is a bonus CD, offering 11 acoustic versions of tracks from the album proper and one fresh track (‘Outgunned’). Rancid unplugged is a unique concept that never really gathers any steam. It’s intriguing to hear the stripped down versions, some with additional gypsy feel (‘I Ain’t Worried’), others with an almost mariachi essence (‘Liberty and Freedom’), but the band really isn’t suited to the medium, not least as some of Armstrong’s weaker vocals aren’t masked.

It’s the 37 minute making-of DVD that explains why the acoustic disc has been included. A portion of the songs on ‘Let the Dominoes Fall’ was written acoustic in the studio (including at Skywalker Sound) as the crux of the album was recorded. The disc acts merely as a snapshot, a registration in history if you will. It’s pretty standard stuff from the documentary as a whole, although it is finished in grainy artwork form (see cover) which takes some getting used to. You won’t learn any secrets here but you will get to see the band venture to Utah for initial writing sessions (yes, Utah!), see Vic Ruggiero (The Slackers) look a little creepy surrounded by lots of keyboards, and even see Booker T (the musician, not the wrestler) lend a hand. Mostly throw-away stuff but worth a once over. Throw in some posters and guitar picks and you’ve got your treasure trove of fan goodness.


Ultimately ‘Let the Dominoes Fall’ is a Rancid record: it looks like a Rancid record, it sounds like a Rancid record and even when it throws in something a little different it never really treads too far from the track that’s been beaten over the past 18 years or so. If you’re a new listener you can take away the essence of the band from this release. If you’re a fan you’ll most likely find this album ends up beneath some back catalogue numbers in the CD pile after a few initial spins.

SkaMutiny Rating: 2.5/5


Al

nice wright up, i think some people need their green status revoking if they dont get some reviews down :p

Yea, fare review. I was very unimpressed with this record.

Yeah, it's still Rancid but it just doesn't do much. Maybe it just needs time? Hmm.

I shall put a lovely Cover Art image in when I can actually get it to work.

lightowler wrote:i think some people need their green status revoking if they dont get some reviews down :p

Let people get exams over and then we shall se. Oh yes, then we shall see!

In my opinion Life Won't Wait was Rancid's piece-de-resistance. It is on another level artistically to their usual fare...I think Rancid actually surpassed themselves with Life Won't Wait.

Al, do you see any big hits in the making on this album in the vein of Time Bomb / Roots Radicals?

Dan, your thoughts on 'Life Won't Wait' are spot on. Couldn't agree more.

I sat and thought about the 'hits' issue whilst putting this review together and aside from 'Last One to Die' I just can't see anything else as a hit. I really can't. At least not in the sense that 'Ruby Soho', 'Time Bomb', 'Olympia, WA', 'Corazon De Oro', or 'Bloodclot' are hits. I saw Rancid last summer and they played only one song from 'Indestructible' in a greatest hit set. I get the feeling that, after the initial promotional tours, it's going to be much the same for this album.

At a push, I can imagine 'Disconnected' being forwarded as a 'single' if not just because it has a political stance and the band may want to be seen as 'grown up' (for want of a better term). I really can't get into that song though.

after reading this, i think it's going to be worth a listen, if only for the songs similar to a poets life.

again, thanks for such a kickarse review, you are a good man, al

We are all products of our environment, and I would like to throw this out there: Rancid came from the streets, but now they are fucking loaded, less raw, and less hungry. I remember reading them saying that while recording this album they were skating on their mates skate ramp in his back garden, and going out to dinner every night at a different restaurant. I wonder if this luxury has affected their craftmanship?

No mention of the single standout track on the album?

'Up To No Good' fills the floors EVERY time out. Easy winner, and probably the best ska track they've ever recorded.