Let the Dominoes Fall

by Rancid

Overview

Rancid's seventh album, 2009's Let the Dominos Fall, was released a full six years after Indestructible. In that time much changed in the world (and the band swapped drummers, with Branden Steineckert stepping in for Brent Reed) but not a whole lot changed with the band's sound. Sure, there were a few cosmetic differences here and there but the fire, spirit, and strength the band exhibited since their debut in the early '90s hasn't faded at all. The first four songs on the album showcase everything that's right about the band. The nostalgic punk fever of the opener "East Bay Night," the angry political burst of "This Place," the ska punk giddiness of "Up to No Good," and the uplifting singalong anthem "Last One to Die" flash past like their whole career in one six-minute medley of greatness. The rest of the album shows off their strengths (like Tim Armstrong's ragged and idiosyncratic vocals) and unveils some surprises (like sweet vocal harmonies on the love song "Lulu," and mandolins and slide guitar on the affecting story of a soldier's homecoming, "Civilian Ways") but ends up sounding uneven with a few surprising missteps along the way. Part of the problem is that the vocals are shared more than usual among the three singers in the band, and while their efforts are OK, there's just no way Matt Freeman and Lars Fredericksen can compete with Armstrong. The way they all trade off vocals on the Specials-influenced "I Ain't Worried" is pretty cool, though. The cleanly scrubbed sound of the record also is problematic, but only if you want the band to sound like they did back in 1993. For anyone else, there is still plenty of power and punch in the band's performance. Songs like "Dominos Fall" and "Locomotive" fly out of the speakers like demons, midtempo tracks like "That's Just the Way It Is Now" boom and swagger, and the whole record will swell the hearts of longtime fans with pride, and might just swipe some new ones too. Rancid's been doing this a long time and while they'll never recapture the exact same power and glory they exuded in the '90s', on Let the Dominos Fall they show they've got more than enough of each to get by in grand style. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	06/02/2009
Label:	Epitaph
UPC:	0045778684311
Rank:	20060

Tracks

1. East Bay Night
2. This Place
3. Up To No Good
4. Last One To Die
5. Disconnected
6. I Ain't Worried
7. Damnation
8. New Orleans
9. Civilian Ways
10. The Bravest Kids
11. Skull City
12. L.a. River
13. Lulu
14. Dominoes Fall
15. Liberty and Freedom
16. You Want It, You Got It
17. Locomotive
18. That's Just the Way It is Now
19. The Highway

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rancid   Primary Artist
Lars Frederiksen   Guitar,Vocals
Greg Graffin   Vocals
Vic Ruggiero   Keyboards
Branden Steineckert   Drums
Ryan Foltz   Mandolin
Pat Wilson   Vocals
Tom Lea   Viola
Brett Gurewitz   Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Booker T. Jones   Keyboards
Adrienne Woods   Cello
Matt Freeman   Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Joel Pargman   Violin
Tim Armstrong   Guitar,Vocals
Ina Veli   Violin
Mike Bolger   Horn

Technical Credits

Bob Ludwig   Mastering,Remastering
Branden Steineckert   Group Member
Ryan Foltz   Engineer,Producer,Audio Engineer
Rancid   Composer
Pete Martinez   Audio Engineer
Dann Thompson   Audio Engineer
John Morrical   Mixing,Engineer,Audio Engineer
Brett Gurewitz   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Audio Production
Matt Freeman   Group Member
Tim Armstrong   Mixing,Group Member
Dave Natale   Audio Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Mitch Ikeda   Cover Photo
Jay Terrien   Arranger,String Arrangements