In sophomore year of college I discovered Rancid randomly. I had listed to the album “Rancid 2000” before, but thought it was mediocre at best and moved on. Sophomore year I found songs like “Bloodclot” and “Red Hot Moon‘. I fell in love instantly, and saw Rancid rocket up into my top ten with lightening speed.

…and then it just fizzled right out.

I don’t know why, but my love for Rancid did not last very long at all. Which is why I probably should have just skipped this album. I haven’t been in a Rancid mood for 2 years now. I’m probably not going to be very fair.

Rancid came out with their first new album in 6 years: Let the Dominoes Fall. I really don’t think I like it very much. I was hoping for a song or two like Bloodclot to energize me, but the whole album has this campy feel.

The foremost and biggest problem with the whole album is that they let the bassist sing. Matt Freeman is an amazingly talented bassist. So talented, in fact, that no talent whatsoever was left over for his voice. His voice is horrible. Simply terrible. A bad decision.

Seriously. Some songs on the album start to almost convince me of their worth, and I start to waiver against their logic… And then Matt comes in and sings the bridge. My defenses are then bolstered, and there is no backing down. Where Matt sings, I will not tread.

And “LA River” – are you kidding me? That “shimmy-shimmy-shake-shimmy-shake-shimmy-shimmy” makes Matt sound like Timmy from South Park, not to mention the general horror of placing that in the middle of a song. I know they were just trying to take up space, but the bass line alone would have been quite enough. Having Matt sing was superfluous and painful. Bad, Rancid.

The whole album feels campy to me. It reminds me of their song “Fall Back Down”. It’s so cheesy it’s almost painful. “Last One to Die” seems particularly painful. Yes, Tim, we understand people thought you wouldn’t make it, but writing a song where you thumb your nose at your naysayers and focus on the fact that Rancid is still around and doing quite okay is a little middle-school.

There are little things all over the album that just bother me. The inflection of a line. The lack of an inflection of a line. Singing the same line, the same way, twice. Stupid little things, but they drive me crazy.

Also, I feel like Tim is putting on that accent-cum-speech-impediment. In his initial stuff I think it was just his normal way of talking. As time goes on, however, it just seems to get thicker. It’s getting to sound like he ought to be wearing a helmet.

What to take away?

Let the Dominoes Fall… is not good. Unless you enjoy grown men singing songs that ought to have been written by someone nearing their teenage years.

What to expect?

Matt’s horrible voice ruining anything that could otherwise be slightly acceptable.

What to pair it with?

A Bacardi Silver pre-mixed Mojito. It’s a bad copy of what was once a good thing.

Favorite Song?

On the Acoustic bonus disk there is a song called “Outgunned“. I like it. The instruments are very well done, complex, and seem subtly Celtic. Matt doesn’t sing.