well, i am a bit older, so i may have a different take. i consider rancid to be a natural progression of operation ivy. saying that i consider this album to be almost perfect. the boys mix it up from the start. i won't bother going into the different genres this album encompasses, but i will say this: tim has become a songwriter. a real musician. there is a definate application of craft and melody that most newskool "punks" (and i use the term loosely 'cause if you purchase your attitude at a store, your not punk) react to as betrayal. honestly rancid 2000's the sellout album. rancid NEVER made music like that before, and only did so as a knee jerk reaction to garner cred with the "hardcore" fans. even their first album in '92 was more melodic. anyway, this is a truly excellent album. melodic hardcore, raggea, and just plain damn good songwiting are "indestructable".

Okay, let's see where we start...

First, i'd like to address the reviewer that says (s)he purchased then quickly discarded the band's first self-titled album: What the hell were you thinking??? The first album was a great album (as all of their work tends to be), furthermore you went on to mention that the second self-titled album was one of their best, again, what were you thinking??? That was without a shadow-of-a-doubt their worst, most thrown-together c.d. of the entire lot!!!

That said- "Indestructible" is a strong effort by punk's most influential and flexible band. They once again switch back and forth from their raggae roots to fast-paced "head-splitters" more quickly then you can say "The Clash". This album is just further proof that Rancid is punk's most versatile asset, and can appeal to anyone looking to delve into the depths of true punk rock. One of the best features of this disc is that the book not only has lyrics included, but also gives a brief synopsis of what each song is about- a feature that i absolutely love, and would encourage all bands to include, as it gives the listener a bit of a window into the lyricists mindset. If you are interested in Rancid I would suggest that your buy their albums in the following order (keep in mind to listen to each album several times so that you can truly appreciate what each work brings to the table):

1) ...And Out Come the Wolves

2) Let's Go

3) Indestructible (it's listener friendly, but not necessarily the third best album)

4) Life Won't Wait

5) Self-titled (1993 *the gun cover*)

6) Self-titled (2000 *the skull cover*)

no matter what albums you buy or in what order just make sure to appreciate all that Rancid stands for and take it all at face value!!

P.S. Listen to the bass line in just about every Rancid song and try arguing against the fact that Matt Freeman is the best bass player on the planet. Period!

Well, at least the album cover is punk.....

Actually, I shouldn't be too hard on the album, it does have its charms. Just not enough drunken charm.

Like everyone else I was waiting so hard for this album that I crapped my pants about ten times. Then I heard the first single 'Fall Back Down' and wanted to hurl my feaces at the TV. Good Charlotte on the film clip? That stupid Ozbourne girl? Playing pop punk songs? I was deflated. I almost wished that they would break up before they could release the album.

But they didn't, and I am glad of it in hindsight. They have besmirched their good names with songs like 'Fall Back Down', 'Arrested in Shanghai' and 'Start Now'. (Don't get me started on how poppy Start Now is.)

But after a couple of weeks I came back to the album and listened to it with fresh ears. I lstened to it without the burden of expectation and as a standalone album, and, when you take it like that, it's really not so awful.

Tracks like 'David Courtney' and 'Out Of Control' see Lars at his agressive and intense best. While tracks like 'Travis Bickle' and 'Django' do the same for Tim. 'Spirit of '87' is possibly one of the best punk songs ever written in my opinion; it's catchy and sing-along-ish but still with good pace and with a raw edge. 'Roadblock', 'Born Frustrated', 'Ivory Coast' and 'Otherside' are all good songs too. The rest (apart from the utterly horrible 'Fall Back Down, 'Start Now' and 'Arrested in Shanghai') are decent songs but far from exceptional.

As a standalone album this is still far better than most of the 'punk' floating around in the music sucCESS pool, but as a Rancid album this is easily the worst. if I were to give this a score as a standalone album I might edge up towards three and a half stars....but seeing as it does come after some great albums and dissapoint quite a bit I can only squeeze out 3, and only now after the bitterness has subsided.

Personally I would like to see them heading back in the direction of their latest Self Titled which is a masterpiece.

Incidentally, pick up the single for 'Fall Back Down' (Yes I know the song itself is awful). The two tracks that come with are great. Stranded is an awesome song by Tim that is better than half of the album and Killing Zone is an awesome song by Lars that is also better than half the album. Perhaps Good Charlotte made the final selection of which tracks would make the album...who knows.

reviews like the next one are one reason democracies tend to fail in the long term. because that guys vote counts as much as mine and all he can do is curse and blather, name calling. Ah well, so be it...

Leaving aside the hell of a year Mr. Armstrong has endured, not to mention the political implications of Rancid's move from Epitaph to Warner Bro's (and what said embrace of the corporate beigocracy spells for the band's ideals) for the moment, let's just consider the CD itself... It's not bad, better and stronger and tighter than most of what passes for punk these days. rancid's worst recorded moments still shine when placed next to the fare put-out by similar pop-punksters of the hour. say what you will but they have been doing what they do with passion and intensity far longer than most of the empty-vee pabulum treacling up through the concrete dreams of the american mythos...

Hmmmmm... What to make of this... It's good, the majority of the songs are top-notch tunes, decent fare, though this is territory that rancid has treaded before. I expected more from them, as, in the past they have always raised the ante for themselves and tried new things. It's very well produced- every crunch and thwack sounds professional. now, Whether or not you feel that professionalism has any place in punk is a question we can dwell upon at a later date... All in all I dig this. I don't dig the hell out of it, as I have their prior three albums (especailly the last two) but I still dig it. I'd say, all in all it's about as good as Let's Go (I can hear the cries of 'heresy!!!!' before the fact, I know, I know) though for completely different reasons... It (and every other rancid release) is miles better than their first album which I listened to once, and promptly discarded. Never cared for that all-too-forgettable CD.

I redid my Rancid running comp to make place for 'red hot moon' (a song that calls to mind 'time bomb,' stylistically); 'django' (a dark surf-punk esque lil number); travis bickle (a nice fast tune); tropical london (another one that skanks and rocks with proficiency); spirit of '87 (good quick punk tune); and 'back up against the wall (see red hot moon above)... All those songs are among teh more interesting ones rancid have come up with- in my humble, numble opinion.

I will reiterate: it's nowhere near as good as their seminal "...and out Come the wolves," their fierce and raw self-titled 2000 release (easily one of the most surprisingly badass Cds of that year) or the thematically and stylistically diverse 'life won't wait'- a record i've always felt was their answer to the clash's 'sandanista!' just as '...and out come the wolves' was their attempt at 'london calling.' C'mon, this is a band that had a longtime friendship with the late-and-beyond-great mr. strummer... also one that has stolen entire clash guitar riffs for their own songs... so the comparisons are worth considering I think...

If you are new to rancid don't get this first- get one of the other three I and everyone else favorably reviewing this has mentioned- all are 5 star albums. Pure punk platinum. This is just good solid pop-punk gold and silver, not a misstep, but certainly not an improvement or a refinement of the band's style. I did yawn in places. take that asyou will.

"I've had a rough year, a lot to go through" sings Tim Armstrong in "Fall Back Down", the upbeat single that combined with a label switch from Epitaph to Warner Bros. (but with their own Hellcat logo as well?) has a lot of people screaming that they've sold out. I'm not one to obsess to much about labels or label changes, so lets just listen to the music.

Now in 2003, not only did Tim lose close friend longtime idol Joe Strummer, but also had a highly publicized breakup with his wife (Brody Dalle) after some mainstream publication caught her cheating on him. Apparently, at this point in the year, Tim was aboult halfway through writing to songs on Indestructible, so we're left with an album that feels a little schizophrenic. On one end we have a kind of return to And Out Come The Wolves territory, and then on the other end we have a few ubeat songs featuring Tim trying to cheer himself up after all this, and pretty much assuring fans that he's going to be fine. That's really the take home message Tim's trying to make you take from Indestructible. He's saying that no matter what happens to him, just by writing music he's still gonna come out on top.

So while this album appears a little upbeat at times, I would not call it a sellout attempt, and I'd actually recommend to everyone to buy this rancid album. Buy ..."And Out Come The Wolves" first, but pick this up before "Let's Go!" or "Life Won't Wait"