I’m starting to realize what music can do to one’s mood. Mr. Bungle will have you ***ting your pants, Cryptopsy will have you smashing your head against the wall, Red Hot Chili Peppers will send you into a psychedelic funky mood, and Rancid…they will make you just feel…good. You might come home to a house full of screaming toddlers while having a raging headache and your wife screaming at you in the background because you forgot to take the trash out, but when you listen to Rancid’s Indestructible, you’ll forget all of your daily problems and just feel happy. As Tim Armstrong says in the first song:
“Through music, we can live forever…”
Most of the album is about friendship and heartbreak. I know it sounds flamboyantly homosexual, but understandable, considering Tim Armstrong’s wife, Brody Dalle, left him for Josh Homme, Queens of the Stone Age’s front man around the time the album was in its writing stage. Of course there are the typical Rancid party songs, but the album’s tends to refer to love more often than not.
As for the actual songs, they are happy and upbeat, as if they were trying to help you back to your feet after stumbling. Songs like Fall Back Down and Tropical London will leave you in disbelief as you listen to the beautiful melodies they put together time and time again.
Red Hot Moon is the only ska song on the album, which is a rarity because Rancid usually has a good three or four ska songs per album. The song ends on a sour note, with Skinhead Rob from the Transplants stepping in and delivering a less-than-steller performance by rapping a bland verse that sounds like it was put together in 15 minutes. Songs like
Spirit of ’87 and
Born Frustrated will have your adrenaline pumping and your heart racing as you feel the energy entering your body.
Though Tim Armstrong isn’t the best singer, you can hear the heart and soul he puts into his vocals. Lars Frederiksen sings wonderful harmonies in the background, and steps in to sing lead in three songs;
David Courtney,
Travis Bickle, and
Otherside. Matt Freeman was rather disappointing this time around. Even though he puts together fine bass lines in this album, he just doesn’t doesn’t have jawdropping solos or insanely catchy bass lines that we've all come to love. He just follows the guitars with a few extra notes added. Brett Reed is another complaint I have with the album…he is simply not a good drummer. His playing is very average, and he has no memorable moments in any of the Rancid albums.
Overall, while this isn’t Rancid’s best release, it is definitely their most emotional one. It is full of energy that will get you going and full of melodies that will be stuck in your head for weeks to come.
Song Ratings:
Indestructible: 4/5
Fall Back Down: 5/5
Red Hot Moon: 3.5/5
David Courtney: 4/5
Start Now: 4.5/5
Out of Control: 3/5
Django: 4/5
Arrested in Shanghai: 4/5
Travis Bickle: 2.5/5
Memphis: 4.5/5
Spirit of ’87: 4.5/5
Ghost Band: 4/5
Tropical London: 5/5
Roadblock: 3.5/5
Born Frustrated: 4/5
Back Up Against The Wall: 3/5
Ivory Coast: 4/5
Stand Your Ground: 3.5/5
Otherside: 5/5
