Rancid has always worn their message on their sleeve.  There is nothing subtle when they sing on their new album about being “disconnected from the country I love.”  The same can be said about their influences — you can hear each one of them front and center in the music and lyrics.

Rancid has been around since the early nineties, and along with other survivors from that long-ago era, Green Day and oddly enough Blink 182, they’re probably seen more as influences than influenced by music listeners younger than myself.  But when I listen to a Rancid album (and particularly the thoroughly enjoyable new one, Let the Dominoes Fall), I hear a milk crate of Clash and Specials albums run through a blender and reconstituted with East Bay style.

I discovered Rancid, like just about everyone else, with their breakthrough album, And Out Come the Wolves.  It is still, a decade later, one of the best albums of the 90s.  I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to beef up their back catalog.  Songs like Ruby Soho, Junkie Man and Time Bomb have long been staples in my rotation.  These are perfect little pop-punk nuggets that channeled The Clash like no other band I had heard.

Let’s talk about The Clash for a moment.  As far as I’m concerned, The Clash is one of the best rock bands ever.  Hands down, no contest.  Sure they were political and outspoken in their lyrics, but at their core was a melding of ska and punk into some of the catchiest songs on my Ipod.  They could shout and they could harmonize and they sometimes managed to do both at the same time.

If you aren’t a Clash fan already, I’ll just ask you to download three songs and then decide.  Forget about Should I Stay or Should I Go and Rock the Casbah (though I would say those are still better pop songs than most of what I hear on the radio these days).  Start with Lost in the Supermarket off of London Calling.  Let’s say it’s a gateway song.  It’ll surprise some with its melodic catchiness and surreal lyrics, but it is a true representation of what I hear when I listen to the Clash.  I guarantee you’ll be humming it for the rest of the day.  From there, try Police and Thieves off of their first album, The Clash.  Again, it is not what you expect, yet the rambling ska flavor of it runs through all the Clash’s work.  Finally, go find Safe European Home off of Give ‘Em Enough Rope.  This may be my favorite Clash song (as well as my personal Waterloo since we tried to play it in my high school punk band and I could never nail the drums right).  If you enjoy those three songs, then I’d recommend buying the eponymous first album and London Calling for a start.

But I digress.  The bottom line is after listening to Rancid’s And Out Come the Wolves, I would have basically said that The Clash was their only influence.  Now that I have the new album, I hear that The Specials must be on heavy rotation on their turntables as well.

OK, let’s play the three songs game again.  Here’s what you do if you’ve never listened to The Specials.  Start with You’re Wondering Now.  Deceptively lilting, almost a lullaby, it sneaks up on you.  But once its got you it won’t let go — like a pit bull.  Next, download their cover of Pressure Drop.  It’s just a damn bouncy joyful experience.  Finally, to get that full-on goofy propulsive English ska experience, get Stupid Marriage off of their eponymous first album.  If you like those, buy the whole first album (which by the way was produced by Elvis Costello, who on thinking about it probably deserves his own blog post from me some day down the road).

But we’re talking about Rancid, right?  Let The Dominoes Fall is a flat out great album from beginning to end.  I’m obviously inclined toward the occasional hardcore punk rant — and there are a couple on this disc — but I like that tempered with some melodies and grooves.  And there is plenty of everything here.  When you get 20 tracks on an album, you’re at least getting your ITunes money’s worth.

And nearly every tune reminds me of an influence, in a good way.  I Ain’t Worried could easily have been a track on London Calling.  And Damnation could slot in between Clash City Rockers and I’m So Bored With the U.S. on the Clash’s first album.  Two other Rancid tracks, Lulu and Dominoes Fall, also evoke the best of The Clash with their perfect mix of ferocity and control.

The Specials get some props here as well.  Up to No Good could have been on that first Specials album.  And That’s Just the Way It Is Now and Liberty and Freedom would pogo along with the best of a Specials mix.

(The Bravest Kids also evokes The Pogues, as do a couple of other tracks, but I won’t hold that against them, despite the fact that I’m not a big Pogues fan.)

In my opinion, Rancid has opened itself up to a wide range of styles on this album.  Two of the most interesting tracks feel a bit folksy, maybe even a bit country (though always with a patina of punk).  On The Highway, I almost felt Bob Dylan being summoned through my ear buds.  And possibly the weirdest musical association that I’ve experienced was while listening to Civilian Ways, which I could almost convince myself was being sung by Lucinda Williams.  Both are great songs and I appreciate a band that reaches outside its box and succeeds.  (A hint of this could be seen in guitarist and vocalist Tim Armstrong’s solo song, Into Action, which was flat out one of the catchiest tunes of the past year.)

But this is not just a mimicry of past idols.  Rancid’s a helluva band and this is a helluva album.  You can quote me on that.  In fact 1000 words into the post, I realize that probably should have been the whole review.