Not So Indestructible After All (Indestructible - Rancid)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Indestructible - Rancid
Date:	23/02/08 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 'Spirit of '87' and 'David Courtney' are greatly impressive.

Disadvantages: Much of the album is hugely disappointing and lacking in any real energy or life.

'Indestructible' is the 2003 release from the Californian Punk band Rancid. The band formed in 1991 and have since then released a grand total of six studio albums. They have another in the pipeline planned for release in 2008, however it is as yet untitled. The first thing that struck me when I first bought this album is that the bands singer Tim Armstrong is credited as 'Tim Armstong' in the booklet that accompanies the release, quite a glaring error to overlook really. I have never been much of a fan of this album, and right from the offset the album shows strong signs of being a great disappointment.

Beginning with title track 'Indestructible', it is instantly apparent that this album is a lot more destructible than the title would lead you to believe. 2003 was not only the year that Rancid released this album, but also the year that Tim Armstrong split up with his wife of six years Brody Dalle. Much of the lyrical content of this release is therefore greatly focused on their split and this does not make for particularly enthralling listening. It is their poppiest release to date and subsequently their most commercially successful album, however I do not hold the album at all in high regard.

'Fall Back Down' was released as a single from this album, a track written after Tim Armstrong's divorce with Brody Dalle. The lyrics focus on friendship, particularly that of Tim Armstrong and Rancid guitarist come vocalist and long time friend Lars Frederikson. The pair wrote the track together and their bond is extremely strong here, Frederikson's wife left him in 2001 and this could be a key element of their bond in this track; understanding. Whilst it's great that Tim Armstrong had good friends around him to help him through his tough divorce, I can't help but hate the track 'Fall Back Down'. The sound produced here is just so weak, something that is true of the majority of the tracks on this album in fact. There is no strength or power to the track whatsoever, the hard hitting Punk sound that the band had in the past is all but gone here and has been replaced with watered down music that does not fit the band in the slightest. 'Red Hot Moon' was also released as a single from this album and is similarly strengthless in sound. It has a chorus that wouldn't sound too out of place on the bands great 1995 album 'And Out Come The Wolves', and yet somehow the track just seems to fail to impress due to a poorly constructed verse and irritating guitar riff that lacks variation and therefore grates on me greatly.

'Spirit of '87' is one of the few tracks from this release that does not disappoint. There is a great Punk energy about this track and the band blast their way through it with great venom and a true passion for the music. There are few times on this release when the band sound like they are singing with their hearts completely in the music, but this is definitely one of them. 'David Courtney' is another greatly impressive track from this release. Written about the British gangster 'Dodgy' Dave Courtney, the band thrash their way through this one at great pace and the vocals are sung with an immense power. These two tracks are definitely the highlights of the album, and aside from these two the album has very little to offer. The albums closer 'Otherside' provides us with one final moment of promise, however it's certainly not up there amongst the best tracks that the band have ever written.

Overall I would say that Rancid's 'Indestructible' album is a great disappointment. There are a couple of tracks here that impress, but on the whole the album is largely lacking and consists of too many tracks that contain no strength whatsoever. I feel the weakness of this album lies in the decision of the band to make the album such a Pop-heavy musical affair, it just doesn't suit their sound and the album as a result sounds tired and extremely lacklustre. Due to the lyrical content, the album can at times be quite depressing and the music often sounds extremely forced, as though the band did not really want to make this record. Given that in 2004 the band went on hiatus and did not tour again until early 2006 suggests that the band were indeed a little tired of doing what they were doing and perhaps they genuinely didn't feel like releasing this album. With a new album due out later this year, only time will tell as to whether or not the band will deliver with their seventh studio album. I personally am hoping for a return to form for Rancid, an excellent album would be a great way to mark the 15th anniversary of their début self titled release 'Rancid'. 'Indestructible' is not an album that I would recommend, but don't write Rancid off just yet; they just might redeem themselves later this year.

Summary: 'Indestructible' is not a great album from Rancid, it shows some promise but not much.