Rancid Roadie 182

Enter: the combined musical talents of veteran-punk pure-bloods Tim Armstrong (Operation Ivy, Rancid) and Travis Barker (Blink 182, Boxcar Racer), and new face Rob Ashton, uprooted from their respective dynasties and fittingly named The Transplants. These three gentlemen have – on a whim – gone back to the roots of punk by taking everything we thought we knew about music and putting it in a blender.But beware – this is not for the meek. Where mild and all too similar-sounding pop-punk tunes have taken the mainstream The Transplants are standing against the tide with this new personalized sound. Their music is a merging of several styles: the maturity of Armstrong’s early years’ Rancid reggae-punk, and the simple but functional beats of Barker on drums; twisted with the street-style rapping of the early Beastie Boys-done-right courtesy of Ashton. Toss in some lyrics of rebellion, remorse, drugs, sex, and violence, and then spike it by just having a good time with it. This self-titled debut album leaves nothing to hide. The words are explicit and simple, and flow through this up-beat fast style that is best described as rap meets punk-meets reggae–meets dance music on steroids.

In this, they have created an amazing album; although at 28 minutes, short by Rancid standards. It is a must-have for anyone curious as to what could possibly go right with punk rock, or for any enthusiast looking for something different. In either case it’s guaranteed to make you want to jump around.