Record Label: Hellcat
Genre: Punk
Band Link: link
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Featuring Tim Armstrong and Travis Barker, the Transplants is a band that wants to do something different but doesn’t know how. The album maintains a punk sensibility but branches liberally into metal, RATM-ish hardcore, Op Ivy-ish down-tempo reggae breakdowns, and cheesy rap-rock, none of which suits them. In fact, they sound downright dopey.

Some songs add to the schizophrenia with organs courtesy of Vic Ruggiero and background screeching/droning courtesy of Tim’s wife. However, a handful of songs are fairly good – the punky “Sad But True” and the shuffling “California Babylon”, for instance – but are bogged down by long running time (most of the songs hover over the 4-minute mark).

With their last two albums being less-than-good, one has to wonder if Rancid is simply delaying their responsibilities by spawning all these crappy sidebands. But better they get these crappy ideas and influences out of their system on the side than include them in their next album.

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