JohnnyNemesis
04-13-2006, 06:50 PM
Yeah, just my opinions. You might see me coming at this album from a literary and sociological perspective; I guess I've been in school far too long. Enjoy.
http://i2.tinypic.com/vetd7d.jpg
The Offspring
Released: March, 1989 (Nemesis Records)
Rereleased: November 21, 1995 (Nitro Records)
Duration: 31:23
1 - Jennifer Lost The War
A surprisingly mature song from such a young band. I really like the way they creatively tackle such tragic issues, including how hard it is for most people to stop living their everyday lives for just one second and pay attention. The opening lines of this song are pretty shocking, which is good, because it makes you pay attention to the whole album. Musically, the song is awesome too: I like the way the riff is consistent, but dances around Dexter's vocals a bit.
Rating: 9.5/10
2 - Elders
Unfortunately, this song is nowhere near as mature. It comes across as a pretty generic youth rebellion song, but the end of the song does something interesting. Rather than promote youth rebellion and ownership over one's actions, it shifts the cause of rebellion over to larger insitutions like the family. Good stuff. I really enjoy Dexter's vocals here.
Rating: 8.5/10
3 - Out On Patrol
Oh my fuckin' God. For eleven years, this was my absolute favorite song of all time, and I'm not kidding you. Anything I have to say is completely biased because I just love it so much. The acoustic opening transitions to the thrashing sound beautifully, the lyrics are eerily cool, and everything is just awesome. Dexter's "uno dos tres quatro" is kind of annoying, but ultimately ballast. Nothing to worry about.
Rating: 10/10 (Fuck you, I'm BIASED and I admit it)
4 - Crossroads
Filler. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a good song, but it's always come across as really, really forgettable for me. Again, that's not to take away from how good the song itself is, but it's something to remember. I mean, I was ready to give it a horrible review, but as I listen right now, I'm loving it. Loving it a lot! Still, the lyrics are kinda corny, and not really too profound. Some lines are great ("Is the best you can be, the best thing to be?" is awesome), but the rest falls into a predictable mush, unfortunately.
Rating: 5.5/10
5 - Demons (A Mexican Fiesta)
I remember disliking this song when I first heard it, but it grew on me. I still don't listen to it all that often, usually because I can't wait to get to Tehran a few tracks later. The drums and riff that open this song not only sound great, but set a great atmosphere. Extremely scary. The lyrics are pretty creative and match the eerie atmosphere. It's hard not to appreciate the effort here. Innocent fun, but I wish I had more to say about it.
Rating: 8/10
6 - Beheaded
This is going to be the most controversial part of this review, mostly because I just...don't like this song. Even as a kid, I was unimpressed by how corny this song is. I know it's not supposed to be serious, but that still doesn't mean it's good. It's funny though: I usually don't like it, but sometimes when it comes on, I can totally enjoy it. For example, right now I'm listening to it and enjoying it, but I remember how many times I've had the opposite experience. Ugh.
Rating: 3.5/10
7 - Tehran
Now this is what I'm talkin' about! The album's second masterpiece. Again, surprisingly mature and socially conscious stuff from a young group. Like Demons, this song also opens with great atmosphere; just listening to the guitar, bass, and drum going crazy bring to mind images of sand and battle, etc. The lyrics are fuckin' great too, and Dexter sings them well. His rhythm is spectacular, especially when he rushes some parts of the song to match the frantic pace of battle. Perfection.
Rating: 10/10
8 - A Thousand Days
I used to call this song "Crossroads: Part 2". The riff is awesome, and the song isn't all that bad, but it's pretty forgettable. The lyrics are good at some points, but horrible at others (the chorus comes to mind). The way Dexter sings is pretty sloppy on this track too. The ultimate "meh" song from The Offspring. I still think it's good though, and if I were to judge it on the standards I hold for a band that's NOT my favorite, I'd probably give it a 7 or so. But this is The Offspring, so...
Rating: 5/10
9 - Blackball
Oooh! Here's a song I don't listen to all that often, but I really love. It's not exactly mature, but it's an interesting promotion of both cynicism and activism (sounds like a contradiction, but hey, humans are indecisive) that's worth close attention. I really love the personal perspective combined with the greater social context. Musically, it holds up well too. Good song.
Rating: 9/10
10 - I'll Be Waiting
Really catchy song. Some people think of this album as having the least commercial appeal possible for obvious reasons, but I think this is a song that would reach a lot of people. It's poppy in a really good way, has a good message, and good enough lyrics. I don't have much more to say, so I apologize for not explaining the following rating too well:
Rating: 7.5/10
11 - Kill The President
Certainly an odd song, something different from anything they would do until around Americana song or so. I remember listening to this when I was 12 years old, hearing those funky drums and bass and offbeat guitar and having trouble making sense of it all. I still thought it sounded good, and still do now. The lyrics, unfortunately, aren't really insightful, which is disappointing because they're making such a daring statement. Still, I like how this fits into the ethos of punk before them. You can really feel the TSOL influence here.
Rating: 6/10
A quick note: I know that I didn't mention how much of a TSOL ripoff the whole album was, but a song by song review shouldn't speak too much to the general album!
Hope you all enjoyed my long review!
http://i2.tinypic.com/vetd7d.jpg
The Offspring
Released: March, 1989 (Nemesis Records)
Rereleased: November 21, 1995 (Nitro Records)
Duration: 31:23
1 - Jennifer Lost The War
A surprisingly mature song from such a young band. I really like the way they creatively tackle such tragic issues, including how hard it is for most people to stop living their everyday lives for just one second and pay attention. The opening lines of this song are pretty shocking, which is good, because it makes you pay attention to the whole album. Musically, the song is awesome too: I like the way the riff is consistent, but dances around Dexter's vocals a bit.
Rating: 9.5/10
2 - Elders
Unfortunately, this song is nowhere near as mature. It comes across as a pretty generic youth rebellion song, but the end of the song does something interesting. Rather than promote youth rebellion and ownership over one's actions, it shifts the cause of rebellion over to larger insitutions like the family. Good stuff. I really enjoy Dexter's vocals here.
Rating: 8.5/10
3 - Out On Patrol
Oh my fuckin' God. For eleven years, this was my absolute favorite song of all time, and I'm not kidding you. Anything I have to say is completely biased because I just love it so much. The acoustic opening transitions to the thrashing sound beautifully, the lyrics are eerily cool, and everything is just awesome. Dexter's "uno dos tres quatro" is kind of annoying, but ultimately ballast. Nothing to worry about.
Rating: 10/10 (Fuck you, I'm BIASED and I admit it)
4 - Crossroads
Filler. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a good song, but it's always come across as really, really forgettable for me. Again, that's not to take away from how good the song itself is, but it's something to remember. I mean, I was ready to give it a horrible review, but as I listen right now, I'm loving it. Loving it a lot! Still, the lyrics are kinda corny, and not really too profound. Some lines are great ("Is the best you can be, the best thing to be?" is awesome), but the rest falls into a predictable mush, unfortunately.
Rating: 5.5/10
5 - Demons (A Mexican Fiesta)
I remember disliking this song when I first heard it, but it grew on me. I still don't listen to it all that often, usually because I can't wait to get to Tehran a few tracks later. The drums and riff that open this song not only sound great, but set a great atmosphere. Extremely scary. The lyrics are pretty creative and match the eerie atmosphere. It's hard not to appreciate the effort here. Innocent fun, but I wish I had more to say about it.
Rating: 8/10
6 - Beheaded
This is going to be the most controversial part of this review, mostly because I just...don't like this song. Even as a kid, I was unimpressed by how corny this song is. I know it's not supposed to be serious, but that still doesn't mean it's good. It's funny though: I usually don't like it, but sometimes when it comes on, I can totally enjoy it. For example, right now I'm listening to it and enjoying it, but I remember how many times I've had the opposite experience. Ugh.
Rating: 3.5/10
7 - Tehran
Now this is what I'm talkin' about! The album's second masterpiece. Again, surprisingly mature and socially conscious stuff from a young group. Like Demons, this song also opens with great atmosphere; just listening to the guitar, bass, and drum going crazy bring to mind images of sand and battle, etc. The lyrics are fuckin' great too, and Dexter sings them well. His rhythm is spectacular, especially when he rushes some parts of the song to match the frantic pace of battle. Perfection.
Rating: 10/10
8 - A Thousand Days
I used to call this song "Crossroads: Part 2". The riff is awesome, and the song isn't all that bad, but it's pretty forgettable. The lyrics are good at some points, but horrible at others (the chorus comes to mind). The way Dexter sings is pretty sloppy on this track too. The ultimate "meh" song from The Offspring. I still think it's good though, and if I were to judge it on the standards I hold for a band that's NOT my favorite, I'd probably give it a 7 or so. But this is The Offspring, so...
Rating: 5/10
9 - Blackball
Oooh! Here's a song I don't listen to all that often, but I really love. It's not exactly mature, but it's an interesting promotion of both cynicism and activism (sounds like a contradiction, but hey, humans are indecisive) that's worth close attention. I really love the personal perspective combined with the greater social context. Musically, it holds up well too. Good song.
Rating: 9/10
10 - I'll Be Waiting
Really catchy song. Some people think of this album as having the least commercial appeal possible for obvious reasons, but I think this is a song that would reach a lot of people. It's poppy in a really good way, has a good message, and good enough lyrics. I don't have much more to say, so I apologize for not explaining the following rating too well:
Rating: 7.5/10
11 - Kill The President
Certainly an odd song, something different from anything they would do until around Americana song or so. I remember listening to this when I was 12 years old, hearing those funky drums and bass and offbeat guitar and having trouble making sense of it all. I still thought it sounded good, and still do now. The lyrics, unfortunately, aren't really insightful, which is disappointing because they're making such a daring statement. Still, I like how this fits into the ethos of punk before them. You can really feel the TSOL influence here.
Rating: 6/10
A quick note: I know that I didn't mention how much of a TSOL ripoff the whole album was, but a song by song review shouldn't speak too much to the general album!
Hope you all enjoyed my long review!