Time Bomb

An old mate of mine used to insist that no one in the world had their finger further from the pulse of modern music than his own dad, citing as evidence the occasion in 2002 when his father had rung him up in a state of excitement to inform him about the "brand new band" he'd just discovered who were bound to be in the charts really soon, and who, it transpired, were called The Stone Roses. Thankfully I've never been quite that bad, but the fact remains that I spend a lot more of my time delving into music history in search of new listening than I do keeping tabs on current artists, and this sometimes leads to me being well behind the curve on genuinely compelling things being done here and now.

That's exactly what's happened with Tim Timebomb & Friends, the latest project of Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, but I can at least console myself with the knowledge that I'm only a year behind on this one; better late than never. While Armstrong's never been shy about tackling different genres - his career to date has been a melting pot of ska, punk, Oi, skinhead reggae, streetcore, hip-hop, and the Prodigyesque electro-grunge of The Transplants - he's now taken to bushing the boundaries further than ever with this series of mixtapes, encompassing an astonishing variety of jam sessions in different styles. Blues, jazz, swing, ragtime, Fifties rock & roll, roots folk, acoustic Rancid songs and an outstanding set of ska and Two-Tone classics are among the different "tapes" on offer, with an assortment of cover versions and original compositions on each. For somebody who grew up listening to the same three chords over and over again, you have to say that Tim Armstrong has developed a staggering appreciation of music as a wider art, and it's a joy to behold.

Best of all, you can hear the whole lot for free. Dig in.