Review
Tim Armstrong
A Poet's Life

Hellcat (2007) Mike B.

Tim Armstrong – A Poet's Life cover artwork
Tim Armstrong – A Poet's Life — Hellcat, 2007

It was in 1994 at age thirteen that I first skipped a day of school and popped Rancid's Let's Go into my stereo. Now thirteen years later, the album still holds up as a classic. Say what you will about their jump to a major label and the last two Rancid records; the fact remains that kids years from now will still pick up the Operation Ivy discography and the first couple of Rancid albums and fall in love with them. With that said, it was with hesitancy that I checked out A Poet's Life, Tim Armstrong's solo debut. Given the disappointment from longtime fans surrounding recent Rancid side projects, I feared Armstrong's best songwriting years might be behind him. Holy shit was I wrong.

Upon first listen I knew this album would remain in my car all summer long. The Aggrolites serve as Tim's backing band and crank out ten tracks rooted in the glory days of two-tone. While comparisons could be made to songs such as "Ruby Soho" or any of the two tone-influenced tracks on Life Won't Wait, these songs stray significantly from standard Rancid material. Despite the different sound, Armstrong is in top form on this album and Rancid loyalists should be into this.

Armstrong's raspy vocals serve as a nice counter to the clean two-tone sound, and his delivery (most tracks feature his staple talk-singing style) provides a fitting cadence to The Aggrolites' laid-back tunes. Lyrically, not every track delivers, but the ones that do shine. Armstrong writes about girls, Los Angeles, and on my favorite track, "Among the Dead," Operation Ivy. On "Among the Dead" he sings candidly about life post-Operation Ivy, fleshing out his emotions during that era. This song, along with "Wake Up," "Hold On," and "Take This City" hold up to even the best songs in Rancid's catalogue.

A Poet's Life is on par with the other great albums in Armstrong's canon and you will be hard-pressed to find a better record to serve as a soundtrack to your summer. If Armstrong continues to remain inspired, 2008 should be a great year for those looking forward to new music from Rancid.

9.0 / 10Mike B. • July 16, 2007

See also

Rancid, Operation Ivy, The Aggrolites, Summer, Drinking On The Beach

Tim Armstrong – A Poet's Life cover artwork
Tim Armstrong – A Poet's Life — Hellcat, 2007

Related news

Tim Timebomb mixtape out on vinyl

Posted in Bands on May 27, 2014

Advertisement

DCxPC 2025

Recently-posted album reviews

Detention

Dead Rock ‘N’ Rollers
Left For Dead Records (2024)

Life ain’t so easy in the detention home- Dead Boys. Emerging from the underbelly of Jersey, made up primarily of three brethren. Raised on rock and roll and sipping from the chalice of early punk rock stalwarts like Da Bruddahs from Queens, Hey Ho! and the Pistoleros of Sexual Nature screaming banshees from across from the large pond. Thus forging … Read more

Nightfreak

Nightfreak
Big Neck Records (2024)

Semi-feral punk outfit NightFreak are back with a self-titled LP filled with breakneck riffs and 70s metal bombast. The Chicago group haven’t slowed down since 2022’s Speed Trials but they have filled out. NightFreak the album is lousy with warm back beats and melodic guitars; although, hardcore vocals and tight drums still reign supreme. Album opener “Blackout” is dead serious … Read more

Death By Unga Bunga

Raw Muscle Power
Jansen Records (2025)

I’m pretty sure I became aware of Mike Krol when The Whiffs posted about playing some shows with him. Krol is a bit of an anomaly. Not only is he on Merge and collaborates with Mac Superchunk- a dream scenario imo- but he’s also been elusive of my fan boy attempts at cold dm’ing him about stuff even tho we … Read more