Rancid – Let’s Go
welcome back to the Skaject folks! this week we’re looking at the second studio record from Rancid, Let’s Go, released exactly 30 years ago today!
i enjoyed Let’s Go a fair amount. when i say that on my first few listens i found the album’s energy a bit samey, i want that the be the baseline here. largely, the record has the same kinda high energy, fast paced, angry punk sounds i enjoy – they just dont move the needle very much, and after 23 shorter tracks it kinda blends, with each track given less space to develop or punch through. lyrically, i do really dig this – theres a lot of on the ground, angry, and pointed social commentary throughout, but it took me a bit to adapt to the vocal styles to reach them.
i think Nihilism is potentially the perfect opener, as it kinda sets the tone and features a lot of what youll see throughout – Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen split vocal duties, the song’s high energy matches its outlook at social conditions and there’s a contrast between the, well, nihilism of seeing the sobering conditions of the world around them and the twin desires to fix things and just numb to it.
there were a could tracks that set themselves apart – Radio is a song about just losing yourself to good tunes, and has a real good hook, and As One is a good unity track that i really enjoy. Salvation was one of the most successful songs on the record, and i can absolutely see why – esp dig the bass on this song. Burn is not complicated but it brings the whole track down to bear on the singular emotion of feeling like youre under fire. The Ballad of Jimmy and Johnny’s a track about skinhead infighting, and Harry Bridges is a cool track about a San Fransisco labor organizer.
from an execution standpoint, im mostly mixed. as mentioned above, musically, this is a lot of fun (good bass lines! fun percussion! good fuitar hooks!), but extremely consistent. vocally, i normally enjoy quite a lot of Armstrong’s delivery, but man some of the lyrics here mush together, and im not as fond of Frederiksen.
on the whole though – p good time. lot to dig into here if its ur style.
faves – Radio, Salvation, As One, Burn, The Ballad of Jimmy and Johnny
dislikes –
Let’s Go – 6/10
next week we’ll check out the Toasters’ Dub 56!
previous: Songs In the Key of Bree | next: Dub 56
previous Rancid release: Rancid | next: …And Out Come the Wolves
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