Where does the line between 'art' and 'farce' get drawn? That might sound like a cynical or priggish question, but it becomes perfectly valid when one considers the idea of side project endeavors made by the members of an established band. The question is further legitimized when the number of side project releases exceeds the number of proper full-length albums that a band has released, and even further still when members previously relegated to the position of “sidemen” follow suit with the “name” members and release albums of their own. At that point, one has to wonder why the same amount of energy hasn't gone into the home band and if its' members even value it anymore. That's pretty much the point at which Rancid is sitting right now, with the release of the first full-length album by bassist Matt Freeman's Devil's Brigade.
To make the point plain, let's do an abbreviated timeline for Rancid's productivity since the turn of the millennium. In the last ten years, Rancid has released three full-length albums (and one BYO Split Series release with NoFX) but guitarist Lars Frederiksen has released two albums with his “other” band, The Bastards, in that time and singer/guitarist Tim Armstrong has released two albums with The Transplants as well as a solo album in addition to producing at least eight albums (on which he has also done guest artistic appearances) for other bands. Drummer Brett Reed quit Rancid (he's since been replaced by Branden Steineckert) in that time. Finally, in the last ten years, bassist Matt Freeman has contributed his talents to a few different bands including Social Distortion in addition to starting and releasing a couple of EPs on Rancid Records as Devil's Brigade. That's a pretty staggering amount of output through a significant number of outlets and, with the last Rancid album being pretty paint-by-numbers, one is forced to wonder how much of a concern Rancid is anymore – to anyone. The devil's in the details of Devil's Brigade too when one realizes that the songwriting for the album is divided by the ket members of Rancid and Armstrong is the guitarist in the band; it's all definitely food for thought.
Happily, the reasoning behind the release of Devil's Brigade becomes moot as “I'm Movin' Through” rolls the record open. Here, the bassist re-introduces himself and his band with a complete shift in sounds; in addition to Freeman's voice being the one up front, he has switched to stand-up bass and a psychobilly vibe above all others. Longtime Rancid fans will recoil at first because the song is totally unlike anything they've heard from Freeman before, but they'll come around quickly because it starts to make perfect sense as the song plays; why wouldn't the pomade-wearing bassist of Rancid have a rockabilly streak? As soon as listeners come to that conclusion, the sound of Devil's Brigade comes into focus very naturally and, when the bassist does make his statement of independence in “My Own Man Now,” those listening will already be set for the ride.
And what a ride Devil's Brigade is. From “Shakedown” forward, Freeman either touches upon or echos all the classic punk rock tones that listeners might have assumed he was responsible for in Rancid, but he also shows off what he's learned from others along the way; on “Shakedown,” for example, the ghosts of Fifties greaser rockabilly a la Mike Ness' solo album surface for a little play, and the mandolin that Freeman reportedly picked up “to keep his hands busy” during his cancer scare a couple of years ago bursts out of “Bridge Of Gold” while Armstrong steals the mic to add some vocals to the same song. Further, a fantastic surf & rockabilly shadow gets cast by “Ride Harley” and will knock listeners for a loop because it is miles from anything that anyone would expect from the bass player of Rancid. “Ride Harley” is the pinnacle of the stylistic dabbling that characterizes Devil's Brigade and, after that track lets out, listeners will find themselves paying closer attention for the second half of the record's run-time because it seems more serious; while the first half felt novel and coaxed dubious grins from listeners, the second half plays for keeps and wins.
It is the second half of Devil's Brigade that will have listeners taking this project seriously and, as “Half Way To Hell” fades out finally, everyone will be left wondering what's to come next. Their perceptions have been irreversibly changed; while listeners may have assumed Devil's Brigade would be a “let the lame kid have a try” affair initially, the songs which populate the second half of the album establish Matt Freeman as an imposing force in his own right.
Artist:
www.myspace.com/devilsbrigadeofficial
Album:
Devil's Brigade is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
