Let the Dominoes Fall - Rancid

Let the Dominoes Fall
Rancid

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Released: June 2, 2009
Label: Epitaph

Review by: Bill Jones

It is hard not to feel that Rancid has hit a punk-by-the numbers phase over the last few years. Most fans know what to expect from a new Rancid album, and while, on one hand, delivering on that expectation sometimes means uninspired repetition, it also means consistency. Let the Dominoes Fall does very little to break that mold, but it is hard not to find it entertaining.

The lyrics feel like requisite punk anthems about corporations and war without much inspiration or flair, but it is nearly impossible to deny that Rancid still has a knack for writing incredibly catchy punk tunes.

The band forgoes an intricate opener, instead opting for Tim Armstrong’s opening lines to lead right into the tried-and-true Rancid sound with “East Bay Night.” “This Place” follows as one of those “requisite punk anthems,” with a raspier sound. “Up to No Good” follows with a toe-tapping ska songs accented by horns and a great bass groove. “Last One to Die” declares the band’s staying power.

The cycle repeats over the 19 songs contained on the album, with none proving either incredibly innovative or offensive to good punk tastes. The biggest disappointment is the lack of passion from the band, especially on the part of Armstrong. While it can always be a little tough to decipher a mood from the singer’s mumblings, it seems as though many of the vocals could have been recorded in one take without any interest in eliciting a quality performance. And if he can’t get excited about the music, how does Rancid expect excitement of the listener?

Still, the arrangements themselves seem a throwback to the And Out Come the Wolves... era, mixed with a tinge of folk flavor. Let the Dominoes Fall is little more than an excuse to hit the road, but as far as excuses to tour go, it isn’t half bad.

Live in Concert - Reel Big Fish

Live in Concert

Reel Big Fish

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Released: July 21, 2009

Label: Rock Ridge Music

Review by: Bill Jones

There is nothing overtly bad about Reel Big Fish’s latest DVD release, Live in Concert, except it is the third live DVD and/or CD to be released by the band in the last 7 years, and seems phoned-in and wholly unnecessary at this point.

To be fair, the DVD offers fans exactly what it promises, one full 20-song live set taped Jan. 4, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif., at the beginning of the “Fame, Fortune and Fornication Tour.” And virtually nothing else. An extra chapter offers some “backstage shenanigans,” but it is akin to a guy carrying a camera around a family reunion. Everyone is just hanging out; they don’t seem to want to be filmed; and the viewer gets nothing interesting out of any of the subjects. But maybe the subjects find it fun to watch themselves on camera later.

The set list is roughly half new, compared to the last release, Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Album, working in songs from the band’s mediocre Monkeys for Nothin’ and the Chimps for Free full-length, and the lackluster Fame, Fortune and Fornication covers effort. Unfortunately, that means better songs were booted to make space. And the last effort already did “live” so much better with two packed CDs and a more extensive DVD.

While Reel Big Fish can be an incredibly fun band to see live, the similarities of the band’s recent releases make it evident that what they do can be best described as a shtick, and even the band seems to be growing tired of the shtick, as there is nothing special to be found in this particular performance. Even the camera crew seems bored. Thankfully, the editing is well done, opting for sustained shots rather than the spastic music video cuts of many live shows, but none of the angles or camera movements are particularly exciting. It feels like a live show any amateur filmmaker could have shot without much effort.

Unfortunately, that sums up the entire release – not much effort. A show was taped. A show was edited. It was pressed and put in a box with boring artwork and no extra material. It is hard not to feel like this is the epitome of a cash-in targeted at die-hard fans and another way to prolong writing a new album. Live in Concert is redundant and not worth anyone’s cash, longtime fan or not.

Review also appeared on Punknews.org

Up End Atom: A Tribute to Atom and His Package - Various

Up End Atom: A Tribute to Atom and His Package

Various

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Released: July 14, 2009

Label: Hartless Hind

Review by: Bill Jones

The formula for a decent tribute album isn’t incredibly complex – pick a good band for paying tribute and get more really good bands to do (ideally) original takes on those songs.

To that end, Up End Atom gets it right. Atom and His Package provides a plentiful catalog of great, quirky tunes with a synth punk style entirely its own. Then Hartless Hind pulled together a variety of great artists, from nerdcore rappers like MC Chris and MC Lars, to quirky punks acts such as Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, to the Aussie/Jewish punks Yidcore, to German indie act Locas in Love. It is quite the lineup, providing a versatile take on Atom Goren’s music.

While everyone will have their favorites, Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer’s take on “Happy Birthday Ralph” is fairly straightforward, but fits perfectly with the band’s happy-go-lucky-sound-juxtaposed-with-deranged-lyrics reputation. Worm Quartet offers a great rendition of “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Lib 2008,” with new words filling out the Mad Libs-inspired tune, at a bit faster of a pace. Lucas in Love in love wins the award for most original cover with slow, elegant version of “I Am Downright Amazed at What I Can Destroy with Just a Hammer.” And hearing The Emotron tear it up on “Me and My Black Metal Friends” is always entertaining.

Mr. Adam Goren even makes a self-conscious appearance on his own tribute album, performing “Goalie” with The Zambonis. A couple of acts, like MC Lars with his recording of “(Lord It’s Hard to Be Happy, When You Aren’t Using) The Metric System,” don’t do enough to make the songs fresh, but an Atom and His Package song left sounding like an Atom and His Package song isn’t such a terrible thing. Still, it would have been nice to see a little more done with those particular songs, and it is a shame that the tribute is over in 11 tracks at 27 minutes.

Fans will be begging for more, but without an active Atom and His Package in the scene, Up End Atom provides fans the next best thing. Also worth noting is that Heartless Hind’s site reads that $4 from each CD sold will be donated to the American Diabetes Association. Goren was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, which partially led to his decision to discontinue Atom and His Package.

Full track list follows…

1 Steinbeck – "Possessions (Not the One By Danzig)"
2 mcchris – "Punk Rock Academy"
3 Math the Band – "Upside Down From Here"
4 The Zambonis and Atom – "Goalie"
5 Yidcore – "Avenger"
6 MC Lars feat. Worm Quartet – "(Lord It's Hard to Be Happy, When You Aren't Using) the Metric System"
7 Worm Quartet feat. Curt Allen – "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Lib 2008"
8 Locas in Love – "I am Downright Amazed at What I Can Destroy With Just a Hammer"
9 The Emotron – "Me and My Black Metal Friends"
10 Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer – "Happy Birthday Ralph"
11 Golden Bloom – "Lying to You"

The People or the Gun - Anti-Flag

The People or the Gun

Anti-Flag

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Released: June 9, 2009

Label: SideOneDummy

Reviewed by: Bill Jones

If it looks like an Anti-Flag album and sounds like an Anti-Flag album, it must be an Anti-Flag album. With the co-lead vocals of Justin Sane and Chris #2, it has become pretty hard to mistake an Anti-Flag album for anything else. Not to mention there is a bit of, let’s call it “consistency” to Anti-Flag’s work that lends it both familiarity (in a good way) and a somewhat basic, derivative feeling (in a bad way).

The People or the Gun isn’t an album that’s about to break the mold. Punk fans who absolutely can’t stand the music of the Pittsburgh four-piece aren’t going to be swayed by the band’s latest. But longtime fans will be pleased with the band’s return to a smaller label and the self-production of People or the Gun.

Immediately noticeable is the band’s aggressive approach in the opener, “Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington D.C. (Sheep in Shepherd’s Clothing),” a melodic punk attack on the misuse of scripture. The band slows things down with two big sing-along choruses in “The Economy Is Suffering…Let it Die” and “The Gre(a)t Depression.” Both contain catchy riffs and deal with misguided capitalism and greed leading to today’s economic woes.

Things pick up again with “We Are the One” and don’t let up. “You Are Fired (Take This Job, Ah, Fuck It)” absolutely tears things up. It is almost a shame that it only accounts for one minute of this album’s length, as it is an intense throwback or crusty old hardcore, guaranteed to have kids on a path of destruction in the pit. Incredibly straightforward lyrics and downright violent music.

“This is the First Night” provides the mid-album change of pace, a song designed to be a sing-along for the end of the show. From here on out, the songs aren’t quite as noteworthy as those in the opening half, but the solid songwriting continues. As expected with Anti-Flag, every song has a very direct social message, with a healthy mix of straight-up punk tunes, ballads and anthems. The socially intense 10-track album does go out with a humorous hidden track called “Teenage Kennedy Lobotomy,” slamming bands in it for the wrong reasons, in which drummer Pat Thetic declares, “I get paid by the drum beat!”

Many bands have used SideOneDummy in recent years as a launching pad for career revivals, while others (Big D and the Kids Table, Gaslight Anthem) weren’t really in need of revivals, but signed to the label and released the best material in their respective discographies to date. The People or the Gun doesn’t quite hit the “best of career” mark, and Anti-Flag wasn’t in need of a revival. The band also doesn’t stray too far from its usual repertoire. It’s still a bit sophomoric and preachy enough to make the live rants wholly unnecessary, but The People or the Gun sounds like an album written by a band that has been refreshed. And the reinvigorated attack of Anti-Flag is definitely worth a listen.