When a new band shows up on Epitaph Records, especially one featuring Tim Armstrong, you're probably guessing that it's gonna be some aggressive punk rock moving at a thousand miles an hour, but probably the last thing you'll expect is a punk album mixed with hip-hop and rap, although for a while now this album, The Transplants S/T has been quite highly anticipated. I've never been able to fully to get into rap, but this awesome mix of punk rock backbeats and rap vocals is sweet to say the least. While many songs aren't as good as they should be, The Transplants are an amazing group that you will find to be quite excellent if you can accept new genres, and if you aren't too proud of your own.

The Transplants are:

Rob Aston - Vocals
Tim Armstrong - Vocals, Guitar
Travis Barker - Drums

For those who don't know, The Transplants were formed in 1999 with rapper Rob Aston and Tim Armstrong (of Rancid fame). They began to experiment with beats and decided to make a band using these beats and such, but they had no drummer. They soon got, of all people, Blink-182's Travis Barker to drum, which brought in a whole new crowd in on the Transplants. Finally, the highly anticipated album is out. For some it may be a horrible surprise because it isn't punk, and actually quite far from it, but for some it will be an enjoyable album that dodges the monotonous tone that both punk and rap have taken as of late. With many guest appearances, you may think this is some new crappy album, but this awesome album features great rapping, along with awesome back-up and lead vocals by Tim Armstrong. Travis Barker also does a nice contribution to the whole scene.

The music is insanely catchy and quite original, offering infectious beats mixed with aggressive, anthemic vocals, and hard rocking guitars that range from funk to driving punk. One song even features an amazing keyboard section, and all the sound effects mixed with the instruments makes an album that is hard to resist. While the music is quite amazing, the lyrics are something I was pretty dissapointed with. Being on Epitaph and being written by Rob Aston and Tim Armstrong, I was expecting some great Rancid-style lyrics, and not the cliche rap stuff. Yet, all the drug talk, all the nine talk, and all the cop killer stuff is all here. The lyrics sound at many points quite terrible, and I have a hard time believing that Tim Armstrong of all people could write this stuff. It really has "commercial rap" written all over it, and without a doubt the weakest part of the CD. While the songs flow beautifully, the lyrics are pretty crappy. "Taken more shots than Karl Malone?" C'mon Tim, you can do better than that.

The CD kicks off nicely with Romper Stomper, which utlizes an almost Mission Impossible esque tune, and then heads into hardcore style vocals by Aston. This is the kind of song that you'd hear on Madden or a sports game, minus the curses. The guitar works beautifully here, although Aston seems to be getting a bit on the raspy side, and early on.

When The Transplants get it right on this CD, you can see it right away. Their songs have a unique tinge, and within seconds you'll be off the chair and on the floor. A perfect example of a classic song on this album is the amazing Diamonds and Guns. Utilizing an infectictious beat, mixing keyboards, guitars, and drums flawlessly, and using a nice "woo hoo!" chant, Diamonds and Guns is by far the best song on the album. As soon as the keyboard hits in, you could guess that this song is gonna rock. And it does, while at the same time featuring amazing vocals changing vocalists seamlessly. The lyrics are as smooth as butter, and have Tim Armstrong singing like no one's business, along with the others. After each verse, the vocalists change and the lines get more aggressive and stronger. The rhymes are amazing, and the backbeat really supports everything perfectly. If you have a doubt about getting this album, Diamonds and Guns should settle this.

Still, though, the lyrics are boring, and while some of the rhymes are sweet, alot of it sounds contrived, which detracts from the song the more you listen to it. Another great example of an infectiously catchy song with bad lyrics is Tall Cans in the Air...almost like The Transplants take on "Beer". The song has an amazing guitar section and once the again the beat is strong, but the song can't help but fall lyrically flat as Aston and crew trade repetitive lines. And lines like "we still got all the money, all the honeys..." just hurt The Transplants even more. While Armstrong's influence can be seen with some nice rhymes that aren't cliched, Aston and Armstrong together have a kind of boring take on rap. We've seen these lines so many times before.

Some songs actually carry a glimmer of hope, but in the end still carry more cliched rap lyrics. Songs like D.J. D.J. begin in an amazing way, with slower, softer lyrics, and an amazing punk-like chorus sung by Tim Armstrong, finally doing it 100% Rancid-style. Truth be told, Armstrong makes the song. Rob Aston also carries his aggressive vocals into the song, and while he is an amazing vocalist, he is a pretty crappy songwriter, no offense to him. D.J. D.J., while containing these boring lyrics, actually has under it an upbeat theme and has sort of an uplifting spirit. Being a song about making it on your own, Armstrong and Aston sing passionately, and sing quite sincerely. Again, I feel like kicking them for writing such lyrics, but they just seem to instantly make it up with their great execution. D.J. D.J., again though, has a glimmer of hope with some great lyrics here and there. If only some stupid lines were taken out of this song, it would probably be the best, or one of the best, on the album.

Of course, not all songs on this album hit their mark. The most painful are those that come ever so close to being good but instead fall flat. A prime example of this is the song One Seventeen, a song just over 2 minutes, and probably the fastest and punkiest song on the album. The unfortunate thing is that everything is just looped together so blandly that the same drum beat and the same guitar riff is pretty much noticeable very early in the song. Aston's vocals are once again strong, but fail to hit any kind of high or low note, and instead just seem average after it's all said and done. The song only variates a bit towards the end, and by then it's too late. This song may be enjoyable the first few times, but after that it becomes just like a brick wall of noise.

Other songs have the problem of being unbalanced. The song California Babylon feels flat and contrived when Armstrong and other vocalists get on the mike, but as soon as Rob Aston steps on the mic, you feel like jumping and bouncing immediately. Unfortunately, he gets a criminally short amount of time on this song, and his fast paced rapping with funky backbeat really make the song. Unfortunately, most of the song is made up of one solitary line that sounds like a forced attempt at a reggae voice. It almost feels like a great beat gone to waste. Also, some of the lyrics are great on this song, almost Californication-esque lyrics, but then get mixed in with more monotonous stuff, that makes the whole ordeal a hit-or-miss thing.

Armstrong makes a lot of weird sounds on this album, but he actually saves a bunch of songs as I said before. One of the best, and even touching, songs on this album, is the amazing Sad But True, which uses some of the best singing by Aston and Armstrong I have heard. These guys really sound like a team here, while having separate parts. Sad But True deals with losing a loved one, and carries it out in mid-tempo harmony. Armstrong takes up his strong singing voice once again, shouting passionately for the whole chorus, and also playing the hell out of the guitar, lacing soft but effective riffs and solos around the song. The song even has a the doo-wop feeling with background singers lending great vocals. This song shows a slower, and much softer side to The Transplants, and also a much catchier side to them too. The lyrics are finally strong throughout the whole song, and aren't cliched. Once again, the whole execution is excellent by Aston and Armstrong. Also, the switching of tunes between vocalists works perfectly. When Aston sings, the tone of the guitars and drums gets harder, and when Armstrong sings, the tone gets softer and more emotional. Quite an amazing song.

The other songs on the album are also excellent, including the slower, but more emotional songs like Weigh on my Mind (which features great vocals by Brody Armstrong as well), and a great take on Wu-Tang's C.R.E.A.M (the Transplants version called D.R.E.A.M). Down in Oakland is another nice song which is laid back and a good choice for a closer. While not being perfect, it's still a mid-tempo chugger that does nicely at the end of this energy filled album. It also has great lyrics since it was written by Tim Armstrong alone. We Trusted You, On Point, and Quick Death are probably the weakest songs on the album, offering little originality and more bland material. Still, this is little compared to the good stuff in the album.

The production values are pretty nice for The Transplants album. The whole thing was recorded in Armstrong's basement, and while it's obvious that the songs were done in this manner, the whole album is better because of it. Instead of having a glossy, polished feel, the Transplants album has a more rugged, more raw feel to it, which compliments the whole attitude of the song nicely. This isn't top-of-the-line recording material, and after listening to the songs, you'll realize why it doesn't need to be so. The songs don't sound bad at all, but also don't sound tweaked and glossed. Great job on the production.

One thing great about the Transplants CD is that it remains fresh throughout. Whether it's a fresh new beat, or a great new vocalist, you'll never get that bad sense of Deja Vu when listening to the album. Also, I can safely call the Transplants CD Rap Punk. I though I'd never be able to call anything this, but I believe it sustains elements from both genres. While it does make sacrifices, I think the mix is quite amazing. The attitude, aggression, and speed of punk is all intact, and the rap vocals surprisingly compliment it quite well. Unfortunately for some, rap does dominate over the punk areas, for the simple fact that most the vocals are rap styled. Punker than thou people will definitely toss this CD away upon the first listen (if Travis Barker didn't already make them do that), and alot of people may be dissapointed with this. Like bybob said, you have to have an open mind to enjoy this stuff. And if you do in fact have an open mind, then you'll find the Transplants to be an amazing new band.

The Transplants debut album has already taken up alot of time in my CD player. While it shows the signs of being a debut and a side project, the effort poured into it is clearly visible. Barker, while not as good as he usually is, still makes solid beats, while Armstrong tries totally new things on the album, and many times succeeds. Finally, Rob Aston has become one person I'm looking forward to hearing alot more from. He has great vocal skills for both punk and rap music, and can sing both aggressively and emotionally, which is quite a feat. I still have a major quirk on the lyrics, but hopefully as Aston and Armstrong come to an agreement, we can see some better lyrics that stray away from the boring radio rap lyrics. Still, The Transplants as a whole are amazing, and in my mind better than alot of the bands out there right now. They're not perfect, but if they decide to keep releasing CD's, they'll get quite close to it. I definitely reccomend picking up this CD if you're the mood for something fresh and new. The Transplants seem to have done an excellent job mixing punk and rap, and missing out due to bias would be quite a mistake. Let this album grace your CD player, and you might just find a new favorite band.

Parental Advisory

Since this album was released on Epitaph/Hellcat and not on a major label or similiar labels, there is no parental advisory sticker on this album, although this would probably have received the rating if on any other record label. Just be cautious anyway, but hey, albums free of a sticker ain't always a bad thing, now is it?

One More Word

If you do like The Transplants, then you'll be happy to know that the Transplants are embarking on a nationwide tour along with the Foo Fighters, which ought to make for one killer show. Go the the Transplants official website, TicketMaster, or Epitaph.com to reserve tickets for the shows. The tour begins in Cali, so as for all the other great punk bands, the East Coast has to wait it out until they drop in.

Recommended: Yes