Throughout their career, Rancid has been likened to the Clash, a comparison the band used to argue against in interviews. But with their fourth full- length release, Life Won't Wait, Rancid seems to have embraced this parallel, maximizing the musical possibilities it offers.

Life Won't Wait shows a maturing Rancid who, following the pattern established by the Clash, has progressed from a stripped down, balls- out, guitar- and- drums- oriented "punk rawk" outfit into a group of serious songwriters daring enough to draw from an eclectic range of musical sources. The album was recorded in over ten different studios, ranging from the band's own Bloodclot Studios to studios in New York, New Orleans, and even Jamaica. With each geographical location adding its own distinct flavor, the impressive variety of this album comes as no surprise.

Many of the album's tracks provide the listener with the heavy- hitting grooves and catchy choruses we've come to expect from these guys, but listen on and you'll hear some surprises. Tracks like the title cut and "Hooligans" show the band's fondness for classic reggae and ska; "Lady Liberty" uses a rockabilly shuffle as its fundamental groove; "Who Would've Thought" boldy dances at the foot of classic Springsteen; pianos, organs, auxiliary percussion, harmonicas, guest singers like the Bosstones' Dicky Barrett and Marky Ramone, and guest musicians like Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins all contribute to the creation of this vast and creative musical montage.

Every so often, associations with the Clash become all too apparent (compare Rancid's "Hooligans" with the Clash's "Bankrobber," or "Crane Fist" with "The Guns of Brixton"), but overall, Rancid integrates the influence, plays with its possibilities, and reinterprets it in a wholly original manner.

The commercial success of this album is almost guaranteed, thus causing hardlined punk rockers to inevitably write off Rancid's experimentation as "selling out," and I must admit that I personally miss the band's more acerbic efforts (gone are the days of songs like "Nihilism" and "Maxwell Murder"), but in the words of Heraclitus, "Nothing is permanent except change."

Although Rancid may have substituted some of their intensity for the sake of musical growth, the changes seem sincere and natural rather than the result of a mainstream- minded compromise. Rancid may be far from being "the only band that matters," but as Life Won't Wait suggests, they're more than willing to fight for the title.

-Kevin Ruggeri