SOUND BITES

As far as punk rock goes, it's hard to name a hotter hot streak than the trio of records Rancid cranked out between 1995 and 2000; the star making ...And Out Come the Wolves , the far-reaching Life Won't Wait and their balls-to-the-wall second self-titled album solidly positioned Rancid as leaders of the second generation of punk. It also preceded a period of slow progression, as Rancid would take eleven years to release their next three records. By the time ...Honor Is All We Know came in 2014, many fans (myself included) had to wonder whether or not this was the end of the road. Such concerns are handily dealt with on the closing track of the standard edition of their ninth record, the positively punishing This Is Not the End . Well, okay then, that's sorted. Now, what of this new record? What do we make of the use of their original logo on the cover, a logo that hasn't graced a Rancid record in 25 years? Is this a throwback to the band's heyday, a new begin...

In the tight-knit, narrow annals of punk, it can be a risky proposition just to evolve. The bands that last the longest are more often than not the ones who change the least; if you disagree, kindly see Exhibit A: Bad Religion. Rancid has been catching heat for the better part of their career, especially after achieving success with 1995's undisputed classic ...And Out Come the Wolves . That album's follow-up, the underrated Life Won't Wait , saw the group draw as much influence from reggae as punk, the group going so far as to record some of it in Jamaica. Going to Jamaica was a smart move, a way to use some of the financial rewards from their breakout hit for the purpose of furthering the band's sound. But much of the punk community wasn't hearing it, opting to tear them apart for paying tribute to The Clash. So, when their fifth album (their self titled release from 2000) kicked out 22 jams in under 40 minutes, it was hailed as a return to form rather than a ...

Somewhere along the way, record labels figured out what most businesses already knew: there were good and bad times to sell your wares. The Christmas shopping season was a given; there were also benefits to selling in spring (with Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation etc.) and early fall (as kids went back to school and parents started thinking about St. Nick). So, record labels developed a strong tendency to release what they considered their best shots at hit records during these peak selling weeks. If you look at a full year's worth of releases, you'll probably notice a glut in April, May, September and October. Which makes my collecting habit a somewhat boring proposition eight months of the year.