Reviews

It seems as if someone lit a much-needed fire under Time Again's ass for the recording of the band's sophomore full-length, and the results could not be much better.

It's no secret that Hellcat has often been criticized for signing street punk bands that, while not necessarily bad, don't change much from the Rancid-inspired formula. Time Again's debut, The Stories Are True, similarly could have been classified as Rancid Lite.

That doesn't make Time Again worthless-the quartet has followed the blueprint almost to a T, so while the sound may not be new to the scene, the songs are just as catchy and entertaining as those of the genre's predecessor.

Darker Days doesn't reinvent much as far as songwriting. It's the same catchy quality with much heavier personal reflection in the lyrics. The performance, however, is what makes Darker Days a superior effort to the band's debut. Daniel Dart still sounds a hell of a lot like Tim Armstrong, but on Darker Days, he sings with an urgency that has recently been lacking in the punk scene.

The whole band steps up and plays as if every part is as important as every word spat by Dart. It is that performance that makes Darker Days special. Yeah, the songwriting is solid and Rancid is a great punk band to copy, but the performance makes the listener care. Mike Green likely played a big part in harnessing that energy during production.

Without the performance, Darker Days would be another Rancid copycat to add to the collection, albeit a good one, but the pure energy - which would make anyone want to jump into a pit and sing along - begs this reviewer to ask whether Time Again isn't doing it better than Rancid nowadays. No, this isn't a classic like ...And Out Come the Wolves, but more than a couple tracks beg for that attention. Time Again still has much to strive for, but Darker Days is a huge leap forward that should please any fan of the genre.