I finally picked up Rancid's Indestructible last week. Even though Rancid's one of my favorite bands I kind of slept on this one when it came out in 2003, probably because I wasn't jazzed with 2000's self title album. The knock on Rancid is that they rip off the Clash, so with Rancid they put out their version of an early 80's LA hardcore record. It's fast, it's loud, but the songs weren't really catchy. Sure, they proved they don't have to sound like the Clash, but it also didn't play to their strengths.

Well, I listened to Indestructible and I'm kicking myself for not getting this two years ago. It's classic Rancid, punk and ska and snotty and catchy as hell. Maybe their second best album? Maybe. Ask me again in an hour.

It's a lot more introspective than previous Rancid albums (dare I say mature), probably because Tim Armstrong's wife left him while they were making the record. Sad for him, great for us since we got "Tropical London," a simply fantastic kiss-off song. Some of the songwriting gets a little goofy at times, like with a song about the homeless called "Stand Your Ground," but "Fall Back Down," "Red Hot Moon," and "Born Frustrated" is up there with some of their best stuff.

It's a little long at 19 songs and 52 minutes, but hell, every Rancid album could stand a little trimming (even ...and Out Come The Wolves, one of my top five favorite albums of all time, could have lost a few songs at the end), but really, it flows the best out of any Rancid disk. Good shit.