I'll see ya in the pit, as Rancid would say. Trouble Maker has the arguments and quality that would make any punk boy and girl consider visiting nearest bridge (if you know what I mean). For the lack of courage, it would be sufficient to go to Rancid concert. Their 9th album and 3rd in the last 14 years is everything fans were waiting for and everything casual listeners will appreciate. Trouble Maker is a solid celebration of Rancid's 25 years old career, a true street-melodic punk without any experimentation and pretentiousness.
This is not the new And Out Come The Wolves, nor anyone was anticipating that or seeing it as possible. That record marked the band, their record label, the year it was released (1995) and the whole punk genre. What connects this record with And Out Come The Wolves is similar approach. These songs could easily be recycled from the two decade old storage and I would not even notice it.
Tim's narrative style of speaking directly to the listener is so impressive, he is able to take us to California and wrap us around telephone cables spreading through palm trees. His tender, blue collar lyrics is oriented towards street themes, with sporadic excursions to politics and love. Everything he writes sounds like a teenage angst, but the style compensates for the lack of maturity. He is talking, mumbling, screaming and singing beyond the rules of grammar, so it is a bit difficult to deconstruct the lyrics unless you have them in front of you.
Second vocalist and guitarist Lars does both jobs marvelously with three-chord rhythm, crazy solos and euphoric singing. The rest of the band contributes in creation of classic Rancid sound, although bass guitar is toned down this time. In comparison to its predecessor, this album brings more songs, with the longest one being ring-of-fire acoustic ballade. Everytime I hear Tim saying headed out to Telegraph Avenue, I laugh. Fans who adore ska Rancid could be disappointed as there is only one number in that style - Where I am going. Rockers among punkers will be happy because of Bovver Rock and Roll that irresistibly resembles The Rolling Stones and The Clash.
Punk is definitely not dead.
