I guess I should preface this with mentioning that I always had my doubts about 'punk rock'. Maybe it was insecurity because I never really 'got it'. I always liked pop-punk - that was fun. Rebellious enough for me, I guess. I never really was that rebellious, I suppose. I don't know what this says about punk rock. Christ, it might say that I know absolutely nothing about it more than anything at all... but in reading this article that was posted a few weeks ago I'd say that Rancid has struck out in the punk rock corner:

Strike 1: Signing to Warner.
Strike 2: New single features a song by some guy in that Good Charlotte band. This is perhaps the most disturbing.
Strike 3: Tim Armstrong in some band with the drummer of Blink 182?

As far as the new album goes.. I'm relatively unimpressed after a listen or two. The second self-titled one that they put out in 2000 was pretty bad-ass, if I remember correctly. And I remember digging that Let's Go one when I was like 15. Yeah. --