Offspring - Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace
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Free Music Notes for Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace
Free Music Review: Might just be their best ever
Hit: 5 Stars
Yeah, I know I say this every time but this time The Offspring have truly delivered their best work, possibly, ever. Anything you've ever liked about this group is on this CD in full force; their heavy and fast songs, their rants against society, their SoCal punk roots, and their slower and more "human" songs. After experimenting a bit with a heavier sound with their last CD, Splinter, the Offspring have gone back to something a lot more resembling what their fans have come to expect from them. This CD includes possibly any sound the band's ever done, as well as some new branching out and Dexter expresses some of his best vocal range as well.
Half-Truism starts the CD out with a song that perfectly captures what makes the Offspring so excellent and unique. The melody's perfect, the vocals are perfect...really a song that perfectly sums up what makes this band so great. Lyrics are memorable, too. "If we don't make it alive, it's a hell of a good day to die. All our light that shines strong, only lasts for so long." A great "lighters" song. REALLY atmospheric bridge, too. 5/5
Trust In You sounds like something that combines the Splinter sound with the Conspiracy of One sound and it's very fast and would probably sound perfect live. Great guitar work, as well. Another nearly perfect song with a great and exciting hook. 5/5
You're Gonna Go Far Kid features the band's best guitar solo since The Kids Aren't Alright and has a GREAT beat to it. Very different, very unique, but again catchy as hell. Worked perfectly for me. 5/5
Hammerhead's the heaviest song they've ever done. It's also the most interesting-sounding, and definitely different than anything they've done before. Powerful chorus, great musically, ...lyrically it's not the best, and the second half of the song sounded a little on the cheesy side to me, personally. Although it ends on a strong note. 3/5
A Lot Like Me features its own sound and its a darker song that's very interesting lyrically. More great "new sound" stuff. Good stuff. 4/5
Takes Me Nowhere reminds me again of some Splinter stuff, (Never Gonna Find Me,) and it's not exactly a standout but it's yet another really good one. 4/5
Kristy, Are You Okay is when the band begins to venture into slower territory. While these slower songs (there's another one on the CD) definitely aren't this band's strength, it's a perfectly good listen. While I'm glad the Offspring are experimenting, this type of song is very "new Green Day" and this CD did an AMAZING job of AVOIDING doing that, keeping the Offspring's hardcore sound intact. This was a nice song but definitely NOT the future of the band. As long as they realize that then we're good. 3/5
Nothingtown features a great return to the more "fun" Americana sound, (mixed with I Want You Bad) and I missed it a bit on Splinter. It's a really nice song that seems to mix the GOOD of, say, Green Day but also the best of the Offspring. Great stuff. Cool lyrics, too. 5/5
Stuff is Messed Up's like this decade's Americana. (The song.) While not as catchy as that song, it's a really funny song that's extremely true, as well. Pretty funny way of naming it, too. (Listen to it and you'll know what I mean.) Dexter's delivery of that line (especially the third time,) couldn't be more perfect. 4/5
Fix You reminds me a bit of Denial, Revisited from Conspiracy of One but better. It's much faster than Kristy and actually has a good vocal from Dexter. The production's pretty top-notch, as well. Great ending. 5/5
Let's Hear it for Rock Bottom took a listen or two for me to really like, but it's a song that kind of reminds me of the old "punk rock" songs from SoCal. Good. Nice beach song. 4/5
Rise and Fall, admittedly, I hoped would be a bit of a heavier song. But it's decent. Kind of a skater song, reminiscent of the good (old school) Green Day. Would fit great on the soundtrack to the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Good lyrics. Sorta made me wish there was a "Rage and Grace" song on the CD as well. 3/5
Easily the best CD The Offspring's ever made. If you've ever liked anything about this band...it's represented on this CD. The heavier stuff from their indie CD's represented here as well, times 10. It's also got some great new stuff on it and easily the best "hit-or miss" ratio I think ever on their CD's. It makes their last 2 CD's (ones I really liked initially but that had virtually NO staying power) look like complete jokes in comparison. Every Offspring fan needs to purchase this CD and everyone who wants to listen to a group AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME needs to check this CD out immediately, it doesn't have a single bad song on there, it's a near 10-minutes longer than their way-too-short Splinter, the CD booklet's top-notch, going back to animation and featuring some evocative imagery, it's got the Parental Advisory sticker again....great stuff. Near-perfect CD for any Offspring/rock fan. More "5-star" songs than I think I've ever heard on a CD.
Free Music Review: Rise and Fall, Hit and Miss
Hit: 5 Stars
After almost five long years, The Offspring finally released a new CD. I bought it right away, and I've given it three or four listens through, and now I've got a review ready. On the whole, it's a good CD, but it's not nearly as solid as five years worth of preparation should merit, especially for a band that has released some of the most impressive CD's of the past fifteen years.
1. Half-Truism 10/10: Finally, for the first time since "Ignition," an actual song to start the album... and what a song! I didn't really appreciate it until after a few listens, but it is The Offspring doing what they do better than any other band: the power punk ballad. They try it a few more times on this album, but this is the only song where it really works. My only complaint would be that it's a much better closer than an opener. In fact, the album would be better off called "Half-Truism" with this as the last track.
2. Trust in You 8/10: They borrow a bit from "Smash" (the song) on this one, but that's welcome considering how much the other songs really experiment. This is a good one, but I don't really hear a single.
3. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid 10+/10: This is the catchiest song on the album. I actually found myself dancing to it the second time through. It's sure to be a radio single diminished slightly by some bleeping. It just flows so perfectly, and there's a subtle soldier mentality to the lyrics, but not nearly as much as...
4. Hammerhead 9/10: The first single, and the heaviest song on the album. By all rights, this really shouldn't be a single. It's a great song, but the insanely catchy first half and the WTF? second half don't really make for a good radio single. The first half, by itself, might be the best song on the album, but then Dexter starts quoting Bible verses and, I'm assuming, comparing being a soldier to being a school shooter, which is good for creating controversy, but has absolutely no basis. Very few school shooters think of themselves as soldiers.
5. A Lot Like Me 8/10: I really like music for this song, very original, but the lyrics are kind of dumb. They've grown on me a bit since the first listen. I'd call this an almost there attempt at another "Amazed."
6. Takes Me Nowhere 6/10: This is really just a punked-up Linkin Park song. The lyrics have the same vague self-deprecation.
7. Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? 7/10: A lot of reviewers have bashed this song. No, it doesn't rock, but the lyrics are pretty good. It's about a boy who knows a female friend of his has been raped, in case you couldn't figure it out. Specifically, it might just be about Kristine Luna, but maybe that's just a coincidence.
8. Nothingtown 7/10: This one gets better each time I hear it, but it's still nothing spectacular. It kind of reminds me of "One Fine Day."
9. Stuff Is Messed Up 9/10: This is definitely the most provocative song on the album, probably the best lyrics. It also helps to support my theory that Dexter Holland is really "Weird Al" Yankovic in an elaborate disguise.
10. Fix You 2/10: What the hell is this? The short answer is: the worst song by The Offspring ever, worse than "When You're in Prison." Yeah, it's that bad. They're also blatantly ripping off Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends," which wasn't even that good of a song to begin with.
11. Let's Hear It for Rock Bottom 6/10: Let's not and say we did. It's not a bad song, but it's rather forgettable. Like "Takes Me Nowhere," it's more vague self-deprecation.
12. Rise and Fall 9/10: It's not spectacular, but it's catchy and solid. This would've been a good opener for the album. One point was deducted for ripping off the riff to "American Idiot." Despite being a band for longer, despite being an all-around better band, The Offspring seem to be determined to stay in Green Day's shadow.
Overall, this could end up being the best rock album of the year, but there was lots of room for improvement. Yes, Bob Rock was a poor choice of producers. He ruined "St. Anger," and he overproduced this one. The guitar was not mixed loud enough, but that's still better than the production on Bad Religion's last album where the vocals were absolutely drowned out. Anyway, it's a good album, and you might as well buy it since you probably won't get another one until 2013.
Free Music Review: Yes, It's Over Produced, But Who Cares?
Hit: 5 Stars
Bob Rock = overproduction. We know this. But if you can look past that, you have a CD with some really good songs on here. I've found something to enjoy on all of The Offspring CDs, and this one does have a lot of strong work on it. It would have been nice to get more than 12 songs after four and a half years of waiting for a new CD, but then again, quantity has never been a strong point of The Offspring's. Anyway, here we go with the track by track rundown:
1. Half-Truism: Wow. I had heard the live version of this before the CD came out, and it's even better on the CD. This rivals "Session" and "The Meaning of Life" as the best songs to start a CD (not counting the joke tracks, obviously), but while those other two are good to jump around and rock out to, this one just feels epic. It's difficult to explain, but it's definitely a good thing. 10/10
2. Trust In You: This sounds like "Never Gonna Find Me" spliced with "Lightning Rod" from Splinter. The riff isn't bad, but after "Half-Truism" (and before the next track), it's a bit of a letdown. 8/10
3. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid: I like the little disco-dance beat of the verses, and the chorus is pretty catchy, too. The packaging of the CD (at least where I bought it) hints that this could be the second single, and it wouldn't be a bad choice. 9.75/10
4. Hammerhead: An interesting first single choice, obviously a departure from the standard hip-hop influenced ones. The music video is sorta weird, but we're not reviewing that so it's all good. I assume if you're looking here you've heard this song, and you know it's rockin'. 9.5/10
5. A Lot Like Me: This one's grown on me a bit. Maybe I just like Dexter singing in a lower octave, since it doesn't happen often. You may think you have the wrong CD in when this comes on with its piano opening, but I actually enjoy it. One of the "slow" songs they got right. 9/10
6. Takes Me Nowhere: Could be a Splinter b-side, so it's still pretty good, but there are better ones out there. 8/10
7. Kristy Are You Doing Okay?: Some Finnish website said this would be the second single, and I sort of hope it's not. Don't get me wrong, the song is enjoyable, but I don't know how it'd fare as a single. Someone made a comment that it sounds like a middle school dance, and I like that description. While that may turn you off, maybe I like it because I'm just nostalgic. 8.5/10
8. Nothingtown: My personal favorite on this CD, it's grown on me every time I listen (and I already really liked it on the first play). I've heard this compared to both the American Idiot CD and "Want You Bad," and I've deduced that one part of this song sounds like about six seconds off of "Jesus of Suburbia" and that it uses the same chords as "Want You Bad," thus, they must be the same song. Anyway, really fun to sing along to and very very catchy. 10/10
9. Stuff is Messed Up: Another very good, rather tongue-in-cheek look at American culture today. The reviewer that said this was the "Americana (the song) of this decade" had it spot on. Although I think this song is better (at least catchier) than "Americana." Gotta love that chorus..."la la la la la!" and Dexter shows he can spit fire in the bridge. 10/10
10. Fix You: I've heard this compared to "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol a lot, and I can see a similarity. But that's not why it's probably my least favorite song. It's still decent, it just sorta doesn't flow as well as most Offspring songs do. Oh well. 7.5/10
11. Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom: Call it ska without the horns. This one is also really catchy and makes for a good sing-along track. Nice and fun after "Fix You." 10/10
12. Rise and Fall: It's starting to grow on me a little bit, even though, yes, it does sound heavily like "American Idiot" (the song, not the entire CD). The lyrics are better, though, but it's still one of the weaker tracks on the disc. 8.25/10
All in all, this has some of The Offspring's best stuff in quite some time (and maybe in their career), while falling short on a few of the songs. However, it's still a great listen (and also their longest CD if you don't count the silence they had before hidden tracks on their earlier CDs) and is definitely worth checking out. Happy listening!
Free Music Review: Not perfect, but outstanding nonetheless
Hit: 5 Stars
I have listened to this album probably a couple dozen times in the last few weeks. On day 1, I would have rated it 3, maybe 4 stars, but most songs that I didn't like immediately have grown on me (with some exceptions). Particularly, the first 5 songs are some of the best work The Offspring has ever done, ever. After that it's slightly spottier, but overall I still find the album worthy of a 5 star rating, barely (maybe a 4.5 rounded up to 5 since Amazon doesn't do half stars).
1. Half-Truism (9.5) Very good album opener. Nice contrast between the fast verses and slower chorus. Bring the album in with a bang.
2. Trust In You (9) Another very solid song VERY old school Offspring. Gotta love that fast palm muting (not enough of that on this album).
3. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (10) This one didn't win me over on first listen, but after a few more listens I can't get this out of my head. Very catchy, sort of mainstream sounding, but still very Offspring. If this does in fact end up being the second single, it's an EXCELLENT choice, as I think this song will satisfy the mainstream and the hardcore fans like nothing has since The Kids Aren't Alright.
4. Hammerhead (8.5) Solid song. I like the strength of the riffs; heavier than a lot of their stuff. Not a bad choice for the first single.
5. A Lot Like Me (10) This doesn't sound like most of their other stuff. Maybe reminds me of Gone Away in some respects. The intro with the piano, meh, sounds a little like it's gonna be a Coldplay song (Coldplay is whorendous). But I can overlook that small complaint which only applies to the first 5 seconds of the song because this song is unbelievable. Dexter's vocals are outstanding, and the song just seems to have a huge amount of power (even with the piano). Another one that didn't win me over on first listen, but now it's my favorite of the album.
6. Takes Me Nowhere (8) Essentially classic Offspring. Catchy song, keeps the album going strong; picks up the pace from the slower A Lot Like Me.
7. Kristy Are You Doing Okay? (6) The pace that we just picked up has now gone in the tank. Don't get me wrong, this isn't necessarily a bad song. For what it is, it's fine. I just don't know how I feel about it on an Offspring album. It gets a 6 because I still like the song, but it's nothing compared to tracks 1-6.
8. Nothingtown (7) This one's alright. A little too generic sounding maybe. Picks the pace back up again at least.
9. Stuff Is Messed Up (8) This song comes the closest to being the "joke" song of the album, but it's more serious than any of the other "joke" songs. Catchy chorus. I think if anyone else did a "la la la la la" chorus like this it would sound lame. Only The Offspring can pull it off.
10. Fix You (6.5) Screeeech. The momentum we've build back up over the past two songs comes to a halt. Again, not a BAD song, and I still like it. Similar thoughts on this one as with Kristy. Okay song, but meh.
11. Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom (8) I like the guitar work on this one. The chorus is sort of generic, but a good song overall.
12. Rise and Fall (7.5) First off, Green Day comparisons here are preposterous. The chord progression is not even close and neither is the subject matter. I just don't get it. This is a decent song, but would have been nice to have a stronger album closer. Something epic like Pay The Man (my favorite Offspring album closer) would have been cool.
As you can see, my ratings are very strong, then sort of drop off. Still, when I listen through the album, I don't reach for the skip button at all (even for Kristy and Fix You). I have been a fan since 1994 and this album does not disappoint. Not sure how much there is here that will bring in new fans (though I do see potential with songs like You're Gonna Go Far, Kid and A Lot Like Me), but I don't see how any true Offspring fan will anything but love this.
I hope the second single is not Kristy Are You Doing Okay (as has been rumored; this may be the second single in Europe, but it's looking like You're Gonna Go Far, Kid for the U.S.). This one will not be removed from my car stereo for months. Buy it. Buy it now.
Free Music Review: The Offspring get personal
Hit: 5 Stars
When you look at the most successful albums of The Offspring's career to this point, Smash, and Americana stand head and shoulders above the rest. When you look at the enduring quality of their songs, Ignition and Smash have among the best. Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, may not be the juggernaut that was Smash, I'm sure The Offspring's decline in popularity over the years will see to that.
But their newest album is definitely among their very best.
The Offspring have shown a return to their roots in violent lyrics and outrage, but they've also shown a maturity that's never been seen before either, at least not to this extent.
Hammerhead may be their first single, but already I can tell you it's their worst by far, and that's not a slight against Hammerhead, rather a compliment to the rest of the album. Half-Truism, You're Gonna Go Far Kid, and Kristy Are You Doing Okay?, are three standout songs on this album that will sit along side songs like Genocide, Smash, Kick Him When He's Down, and Gone Away as some of the very best the band has ever written.
Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? in particular shows a maturity and retrospective that's really touching. Very different in feel and sound than anything The Offspring has done. After having just listened to Jennifer Lost The War, it really brings out the sadness of this song. The concern and sorrow expressed by Dexter is truly moving. I hope they make this song a single, because it's probably the best song they've ever written.
This will be a defining album in The Offspring's career.
After having read some of the other reviews I'm wondering if they've ever listening to The Offspring's first album, and heard songs like Jennifer Lost The War, and Beheaded. This is was the first band I ever listened to (them and Green Day, back when there was a battle of the punk bands headlined by these two) and for years they were my favorite band ever. The Offspring after having been releasing albums for 20 years are growing up, they're not just the same band the wrote songs like Bad Habit and Beheaded. These "emo" songs people are whining about are a show that they don't understand the story of what is really going on in the lives of The Offspring's lives. I applaud the bands maturity, they're not feeling sorry for themselves and whining about how their girlfriend dumped them, they're trying to help those closest to them, that's not "emo" that's called caring.