Tomorrow Never Comes

10枚目の記念碑的な作品、パンク・ロック・レジェンドRANCIDの進化を見よ!
新作スタジオ・アルバム『TOMORROW NEVER COMES』
1991年の結成以来、生々しいエネルギーを持ち続けてきたカリフォルニアのパンク・ロック・バンド、ランシド。
待望の10枚目のスタジオ・アルバム『Tomorrow Never Comes』がリリース。
長年のコラボレーターであり、Bad Religionのギタリスト、Epitaphの創設者でもあるBrett Gurewitzがプロデュースを担当している。
過去30年にわたり、ランシドは常に独立し、彼らのコミュニティやお互いに対する忠誠心を失うことはなかった。
彼らの音楽は政治や社会の問題に向き合いながら、愛や喪失、ハートブレイクなどの個人的な物語をバランスさせている。
元々のパンク・ロック・バンドの伝統と精神を引き継ぎながら、ランシドは伝説となり、その後に続くパンク・バンドたちにとってのインスピレーションとなっている。

Rancids 2023 album Tomorrow Never Comes is a spiritual descendant of their self-titled album from 23 years earlier, where the band sidelined their usual bouncing ska tunes and street-tough ballads, as well as any traces of grandeur and subtlety, for a nonstop blast of fast and furious punk. The group may be a little less furious now, maybe a little slower, but theyre still plenty powerful for a band entering their fourth decade of releasing punk rock records. The 16 songs flash by in under a half-hour, barreling past in a nostalgic rush of pirate melodies, frayed vocal chords, and chunky guitar riffs. Its not entirely dissimilar to their previous few records, but theres a layer of artifice that seems to have been stripped off to be replaced by a sense of energetic joy and fist-raising community. Rancid have certainly never lacked for energy, but sometimes, here and there in more recent times, its felt forced and somewhat rote. Neither of those fun-killing flaws are lurking here, and its easy to just let the record play and imagine its 1997 or so and stadium gigs, mortgages, fancy studios, and major-label dalliances are a distant mirage. While the band sound energized, its the singing that pushes the record into the red. Both Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen yelp their vocals like wrestlers in the throes of a particularly tough match, while bassist Matt Freeman punctuates the record with his whimsically gravelly croak. The three trade off leads, slide in and out of the mix, and sing their version of shouted harmony throughout, with Armstrong taking charge less frequently than in the past. While its a little like benching Reggie Jackson to let his less proficient teammates take a swing, the decision pays off and the democratic nature of the album is oddly heartening in an age of me-first selfishness. Armstrongs eccentrically iconic drawl is still something quite odd and beautiful, though, and when hes out front -- as on the verses of "Its a Road to Righteousness" and "One Way Ticket" -- Rancid transcend punk cliches. Most of the record does do that, and the jolt of energy that songs like the rousing title track, the empowering "Hear Us Out," and the hopped-up sea shanty "Devil in Disguise" deliver makes Tomorrow Never Comes a hearty, exciting course correction for the band. They may or may not ever release anything as genre defining as ...And Out Come the Wolves or as hell-bent on destruction as that aforementioned 2000 album, but as far as punk in 2023 goes, there arent many bands making music as convincing or powerful as Rancid do here. ~ Tim Sendra

6年ぶり10枚目のアルバム。一時はティムもラーズもサイド・プロジェクトに入れ込んでいてたびたび動きがあったように思えたものだが、現在の彼らはより強固な一体感と集中力を持ってランシドに向き合っているのかもしれない。何かが大きく変わったわけではないものの、どの曲も放射状にベクトルを伸ばしまくって、楽しい曲はより楽しく、激しい曲はより激しく、メロディックな曲は極めてメロディックに、活き活きと威勢のいいサウンドを叩き出しているように思える。逆説的な表題のメッセージも、ショート・チューンを挿みながら一気に聴かせるこの感じも、とにかく最高! ここにきてまた傑作が誕生した!
bounce (C)轟ひろみ