Album Reviews
Having received most of my musical education in the 90’s, Rancid’s ‘… And Out Come The Wolves’ was one of my gateway albums into punk rock. So when it comes to this release, there is no denying there is a big nostalgia factor at play. But there’s also no denying the album simply is a real classic. One that still holds up 26 years down the line. So how does this cover/tribute album compare to the original?
Stay Wild kick things off with an absolutely vicious take on ‘Maxwell Murder’ before Little Debbie & The Crusaders deliver a completely harmless version of ‘11th Hour’. The first one jumps at you like it wants to steal your wallet and slit your throat, the latter sounds like it was recorded in a phone booth, which still were a thing back when the original came out. The contrast could not be bigger. Luckily, Get Married is there to pick it up (sorry!) and deliver a solid - albeit somewhat straight-forward - punk rock version of ‘Roots Radicals’. The same of which can be said of The Hammerbomb’s ‘Olympia, WA’ and Worriers’ ‘Old Friend’, both of which stay pretty close to the original.
As with any compilation, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. I'm not entirely sure what Matamoska is trying to do with ‘Listed MIA,' but I sure hope I never have to listen to it again. It’s not the worst song on here though. That dubious honor is reserved for Vantana Row’s ‘She’s Automatic,’ which sounds like something ate the master tape and then spat it out, leaving behind nothing but an unrecognizable mess of bad techno beats and slightly deranged sounding screams. This really could be any song. If you told me this was a cover of Myley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball,’ I don’t think I would be able to prove you wrong.
No, then I much prefer listening to Flying Raccoon Suit turn ‘Time Bomb’ into a horn-laden fiesta, Pretty Frankenstein’s stripped-down and laid-back take on ‘Ruby Soho’ and the cover of ‘Junkie Man,’ by Link 80 who semi-reunited just to record this song. The rest of the album is made up decent yet standard punk rock takes on the Rancid originals, making ‘… And Out Come The Lawsuits’ a fun enough tribute to an absolute classic.
Tracklist:
- Stay Wild - Maxwell Murder
- Little Debbie & The Crusaders - 11th Hour
- Get Married - Roots Radicals
- Flying Raccoon Suit - Time Bomb
- The Hammerbombs - Olympia, WA
- Omnigone - Lock, Step & Gone
- Link 80 - Junkie Man
- Matamoska - Listed MIA
- Pretty Frankenstein - Ruby Soho
- Matt Moua - Daly City Train
- Sarchasm - Journey to the End of the East Bay
- Vantana Row - She's Automatic
- Worriers - Old Friend
- Public Safety - Disorder and Disarray
- Angelboy + The Halos - The Wars End
- School Bus Driver - You Don't Care Nothin
- Danger Inc. - As Wicked
- Adult School - Avenues & Alleyways
- Bad Idols - The Way I Feel
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
