Epitaph stallwarts still aping The Clash, still doing a fine job of it.

Sometimes it’s invigorating to slip in a new CD and want to shout along on the first listen. The newest Rancid album, Let the Dominoes Fall, is one of those discs. Yes, Rancid pays homage to The Clash, The Pogues and The Specials all in the same breath, but all those were great bands and Rancid does them all well, with their own twist, and that’s what makes them fun a full seven CDs into their career.

Co-frontman Tim Armstrong’s lyrics manage to say a lot with very little. “Some live a life of indecision, strung out on the petty schisms/ I heard GBH and punk rock is my religion,” he sings on “You Want It, You Got It,” and he’s managed to convert some others, too. Guest appearances feature a cast of irregulars playing strings and keys, including none other than Booker T on the rip-snorting ska song “Up To No Good.”

Let the Dominoes Fall will keep you pogoing all the way through, but there is also a bonus package that includes acoustic versions of 12 of the 18 songs and a DVD that is well worth the extra dough. Armstrong does acoustic with all the gravel-throated charm of Ian Mackaye, Jimmy Pursey and Jake Burns. Even if it’s gone acoustic, I am so glad punk rock is not dead. Oi!