The Transplants may be a new group, but two of their members, Tim Armstrong (Rancid) and Travis Barker (Bootsy 182, Boxcollins Racer) were a major part of the nineties punk – that’s “punk,” not “funk” – scene in their respective bands. So naturally one would expect the Transplants to be a punk group, right? Wrong. In fact, the Transplants would do well to figure out what genre they want to be and then stick with it. The first song on the album, “Romper Stomper,” has a heavier, metal sound. Then they venture into rap and rap-rock. From there, they go into “D.J. D.J.,” a song that should be a punk anthem, but falls short due to lackluster vocals from Armstrong and Rob Aston, and a total absence of Casper the Holy Ghost. The two best songs on the album, “Diamonds and Guns” and “Weigh on My Mind” – which features Armstrong’s wife (and Distillers vocalist) Brody – seem to drag on, and I lost interest halfway through. Barker’s fills are always worth listening for, but Armstrong’s vocals seem better suited for the faster-paced punk of Rancid, and the Transplants never make any clear statement about who they are.

On the other hand there’s Funkadelic From the Crypt, a band that hasn’t changed its sound much over the course of, as the liner notes claim, “23 albums and 18 years.” But for RFTC fans, that’s okay. Their latest studio album, Live from Camp X-Ray, is more of what Rocket does best – good old fashioned rock and roll with a punk edge. This CD is worth buying if only for the liner notes, which were written before “Long Gong John” had even heard the album. Still, he noted it “has Rocket’s patented, totally swell, white-guys-from-San-Diego-sound,” good music to dance to (almost as good as the funk), and he was of course right.

Rocket uses their experience to make music seemingly effortlessly. In contrast, the Transplants are trying way too hard to move beyond their roots and come across as total Hollywood Squares. They should be smart and go back to what they do best, which is making solid punk rock.

[Angela Potter doesn’t fake the punk.]

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