Pop

*** Rancid, “Life Won’t Wait,” Epitath. Rancid doesn’t break much new ground on its fourth album, but by delving more deeply into its roots in old-school punk, the Bay Area quartet pulls off its strongest effort to date.

Like its role model, the early Clash, Rancid splits its focus between amped-up, stripped-down melodic rock and ska. Actually, the Caribbean elements range from scrappy ska to eerie dub and, unlike many rudie-wannabes, Rancid preserves the warm soul of this music, so it isn’t reduced to colorful gimmickry.

Guest performances by members of the Specials, dance-hall king Buju Banton and Mighty Mighty Bosstones front man Dicky Barrett don’t hurt either. But there’s more going on here than winsome punk and deep riddims. “Lady Liberty” packs a hefty dose of rockabilly swagger, and the musicians tip their hats to the godfathers of punk, the Who, in the mod-inflected “Leicester Square” with ringing guitars straight out of “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere.”

It would be poor punk form to neglect larger issues and the political etudes that tug at the heartstrings and pluck at the consumerist conscience. Yet despite lyrical images of class struggle and cultural decay, an irresistible party vibe of the social, not political, kind is ultimately what drives this album home.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).