Rancid/NOFX

BYO Split Series Volume 3 (BYO)
by Scott Hefflon

Great idea, not-so-great record. Simply put, Rancid really isn’t all that good… They may have a great bass sound, and they sure sound distinctive (dumb, but distinctive), but their songs are a waste of NOFX‘s talents, and when Rancid tries to cover NOFX songs, I keep crackin’ up before I realize they aren’t kidding, they just can’t fuckin’ play it. And they sure as shit can’t sing it. Geez, I never thought Fat Mike was a phenomenal singer, but compared to Lars and Tim, geez, he’s a versatile, smooth-crooning mofo. NOFX (who I’ve always liked) brightens Rancid’s songs, and while diehard fans may resent the treatment (and Fat Mike’s voice doesn’t hold up too well on the sparse stuff, when Lars eats the mic and you can hear his voice catch and his tongue click like the CookiePuss voiceover guy for Carvel Ice Cream), it’s kind of cool. Rancid, on the other hand, sound like they either didn’t try very hard (oooh, how punk… I want my fuckin’ money back), or they just couldn’t cut it. So half is fun and kinda cool, and the other half is funny, a little painful, and kinda sad.
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