Rancid - 'Let the DominoesFall' album preview @Yellowbird Cafe, Melbourne(27/05/2009)

Thu 28th May, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Rancid’s seventh album, Let The Dominoes Fall, is just about to drop and record label Epitaph organised a listening party. From all the articles that I’ve ever read about listening parties, I thought this would be a formal affair. I imagined burly security guards checking my person for listening devices, lots of media representatives taking notes, perhaps a function room. So imagine my surprise, walking into a tiny albeit awesomely decorated Yellowbird Cafe on Chapel Street. There was a couple of cool looking folks in band shirts and leather jackets (but then again, this is Melbourne; we all look like that). I thought perhaps Google Maps lied to me, and I got the venue wrong.

Even taking into account the fact that it wasn’t Linkin Park (notorious for their over-the-top antics associated with protecting their unreleased music) or the Beatles, I would have thought they’d at least be someone to check that I really was on the door list before they stamped me. Or that they would play the new album, which they didn’t.

What they did do was screen a documentary by Rachel Tejada, showing the making of the album. Apart from the first and last thirty seconds (monotone voice-over by the sappy director on how staying friends is punk), the documentary was absolutely fascinating. It started with a crash course on all things Rancid – a year by year biography of the band until present. Then it went into specifics: everything from the size of Branden Steineckert’s drum sticks, the differences between their recording and live set-ups, the different channels on their Mesa Boogie amps, to the origins on their guitar stickers. The irritating part of the video was the fact that not only was it black and white, but it was also grainy. It was almost unwatchable, and rather frustrating when the band started cooing over their beautiful Gretsch guitars and all I can see is a black blob onscreen.

Even without listening to the album properly, I can say that the album is definitely worth checking out. Featuring musical cameos in the form of organ, accordions and harmonicas from the likes of Booker T. Jones and Matt Hensley, it is sure to be a bit different from the normal Rancid fare. And in a suitably Richard Cheese fashion, it comes with the proper ‘electric’ version of the album as well as the acoustic variations. If you’ve ever wanted to hear punk played with an acoustic guitar, this one is for you.

Rancid’s seventh studio release, Let the Dominoes Fall, comes out on the June 2nd, 2009 through Hellcat Records.