Rancid "Time Won't Wait" 1998***

It must be a sign of old age, the fact that I'm surprised that an album like this one is over 20 years' old. In my mind it is a relatively new CD, and Rancid are still the new kids on the block trying to revive the good old days of punk rock - but in reality this record is closer to the days of the original punk rock explosion than it is to now, and Rancid are punk rock veterans. So as I write I can't help but ask myself who the hell is interested in a 20-year old album that revived what was then already a 20-year old trend? Well, maybe you are, since you're reading it, but why? It's not current, not what's happening now. And if you like punk rock, why listen to the copycats instead of the originators?

Of course this is a nonsense way of thinking: music is good or bad, it moves you or leaves you cold, regardless of whether it's innovative or derivative. Sure, at times Rancid sound uncannily like The Clash, even employing two lead singers (Frederiksen and Armstrong) to trade vocals like Jones and Strummer did. Then again, don't you wish The Clash had made more records? Well, Rancid are here to fill that void. Time Won't Wait is their 4th album, following on the heels of the super successful ...And Out Come the Wolves and continuing the band's evolution from hardcore towards ska-punk. The Jamaican influence is most evident on "Life Won't Wait" (recorded in Kingston, Jamaica) and closer "Coppers", both songs combining upbeat ska beats, rousing punk choruses, and toasting by Buju Banton and Dr. Israel, respectively. Other songs combining ska, latin and funk influences are "Hooligans", horns-heavy "Wrongful Suspicions", harmonica and Hammond-starring "Cocktails", the experimental-dub-funk "Crane Fist", and earnest love song "Corazón de Oro". Yes, I said love song - apparently punks fall in love, too! "Who Would've Thought" is another love song, with an upbeat/happy chorus. On the other hand, this may also be one of their most political albums, touching topics like disenfranchised youth, racism, the hardships of the working class, disillusionment with capitalism in Eastern Europe, etc. Unfortunately the lyrics aren't included in the 12-page CD booklet (it mostly consists of arty photos) and the singers aren't renowned for their clear elocution, so the words take second place to the music. Maybe that's how the band wanted it: focusing too much on the social commentary could diminish the enjoyment of what is at first glance a punk rawk party record. They may have thought it's better to let the message slowly seep in with repeated listens. Notwithstanding the Jamaican and rhythm & blues excursions, Time Won't Wait is essentially an old-school punk record, complete with Ramones-y hey ho's on lead single "Bloodclot", rockabilly-ish guitars on "Lady Liberty", and gang vocals everywhere. A certain sense of deja vu isn't a big drawback since it's all wild and rowdy fun. The only downside is that with 22 songs and a duration of 60+ minutes, it can get repetitive and even tiresome for those who aren't huge punk/ska fans. In smaller doses there's nothing wrong with it, it just falls short of being a 90's punk classic like its predecessor ...Out Come the Wolves, Green Day's Dookie or Offspring's Smash. Those were the essential albums of the era.

**** for Bloodclot, Hoover Street, Life Won't Wait, Hooligans, Crane Fist, Leicester Square, Who Would've Thought, Wrongful Suspicion, Corazón de Oro

*** for Black Lung, New Dress, Backslide, Cash, Culture and Violence, Cocktails, Lady Liberty, Turntable, Something in the World Today, Coppers

** for Intro, Warsaw, The Wolf, 1998