Album Description: Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace, the eighth studio album from the OC punksters, is an impressive new set of songs from one of rock's most exciting and enduring bands. The Offspring entered the studio with legendary producer Bob Rock (Metallica, The Cult) to record 12 new songs culled from the most productive songwriting period in the band's history. This is the band's first full-length studio release in four and a half years, the longest gap between The Offspring's studio albums to date. 'Hammerhead' the 1st single from Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace debuted at #5 on the U.S Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and #18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks respectively. The Offspring has performed over 1000 shows and they have sold more than 34 million albums worldwide, including their 1994 release "Smash," which more than a decade after its release remains the highest-selling album of all time on an independent label.
I don't know much, but I know this, this CD is good. My Offspring education started with Conspiracy of One, when I was 13, I went out and bought that cd along with Blink 182's Mark Tom and Travis Show. Now, I still hold a soft spot for the Offspring.
After Conspiracy of One, I moved on to their huge previously released Americana CD. Looking back, that CD is some what boring and overrated, but I was too young to really care. Then I eventually went even farther back to Ignition and Smash, and realized that this is where the true best Offspring can be found.
I would like to review each track on Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace as follows:
1. Half-Truism: If there is one thing Offspring are known for, it is usually a solid opening track to really get the mood going. While this song doesn't really have anything out of the ordinary like a voice over or anything like that, it is one hell of a solid opener. I can already say I am impressed by Dexter's vocal range on this song. I highly recommend this track.
2. Trust In You: This song sounds very much like an Ixnay on the Hombre era track. It really reminds me of All I want or The Meaning of Life. It's rather simply musically structured and quite catchy. It almost feels out of place with the newer sound the Offspring have on other tracks, but bringing back memories of old Offspring is never a bad thing. Again, highly recommended.
3. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid: This song, which is the second single, is very catchy and has gread lyrics. You will catch yourself singing these lyrics, or at the very least tapping your foot to the beat. The only beef I have with this song is that it sounds like a mash up of some other songs. What I mean is that the opening rhythm sounds exactly like Stop by Against Me! and the part when Dexter sings: "nice work you did, you're going to go far kid" it kind of sounds like a Muse song or something along those lines. I really like this song though, and the different sounds go together very well. Again, highly recommended.
4. Hammerhead: The first single, this song seems to have a lot of different parts to it, the opening, the majority of the song, and then the middle bit all have a distinct sound. The middle part is a little silly, "Bang bang it hammers in my head" is admittedly a little childish, and I can say that from personal experience it has turned people off the song. Other than that, it takes a while to grow on you, and it might not have been the best song to market the CD with as the first single. I can just recommend this one.
5. A Lot Like Me: This song is again kind of similar to older Offspring. It starts kind of quieter and builds up to the climax at the end of the song. I'm not going to lie, I don't really follow the lyrics of this one, but with lines like "because he looks a lot like me" I'm not exactly sure what is going on. I think the highlight of this song is when Dexter chants: "Want it You got it You're sorry You bought it You're sliding Want it You got it You're sorry You bought it Can't hide it" Other than that, this song is pretty good, but not great. I recommend it though.
6. Takes Me Nowhere: This is the final song that sounds more like older Offspring. It doesn't have any super redeeming qualities but it is catchy, and worth a listen. Recommended.
7. Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?: I have to admit, I am not a fan of slower ballad type songs, especially done by a band like the Offspring. It is nice that they try something a little different but not like this. The song has to do about the singer (I say this because I doubt it is Dexter himself) realizing he wasn't there to support a Kristy when she was younger and being abused or something along those lines. It just comes off too whiny and uninspired. I really cannot recommend this song at all.
8. Nothingtown: This is the first of two songs where it seems like a case of stolen identity. This song and the upcoming Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom sound to me like they belong on a Motion City Soundtrack CD more than an Offspring CD. That is not to say they aren't good songs, but they are really poppy. They sound more like Americana songs, and I can only really recommend them to fans of that CD or Conspiracy of One.
9. Stuff Is Messed Up: Now here's what I'm talking about. This song is my favourite song on the CD by far. It's a lot of fun and who can't agree with the line "I don't know much, but I know this, **** is ****ed up!" It just fits well. This is the Offspring doing pop music with their own flavour, kind of like the song Americana or Why Don't You Get A Job. The song talks about how dumbed down culture is and how much bull**** their is going on in the world today. Dexter sarcastically sings about the media, sex, and corruption among a large list of other things. The giant list in the middle is the best part of the song. Very highly recommended, and it comes with bonus social commentary.
10. Fix You: Again with the slower ballad type songs. Although this song isn't as silly or over dramatic. It displays a nice range of Dexter's vocals as he starts our quietly and builds to "I wish I could fix you, and I wish you could fix me." This song actually works for its purpose. This is how they should do a lighter song. It kind of reminds me of She's Got Issues from Americana. It works, but like I said I'm not a huge fan of these songs. Recommended only for those who like the slower lighter songs.
11. Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom: Please see my review of Nothingtown. The one thing I have to note is that the build up to the chorus almost sounds like ska or a tiny bit of reggae. But the chorus is much more pop-rock orientated.
12. Rise and Fall: This song is a great song to wrap up the CD. It's very poppy but it works better than the previous two songs that are similar, Nothingtown and Let's Hear It... It starts and finishes strong, is very catchy throughout and where as the other two seemed out of place, this song has Offspring written all over it. From the chorus to the guitar solo in the middle. I think it is a strong track to end with, and I highly recommend it.
To finish off this review, this CD is more orientated toward the Americana and Conspiracy of One crowd, but come on, you knew you weren't going to get Smash coming into this CD. It has some songs that will remind you of the old Offspring, and it is their best album since Smash in my opinion. Remembering I still need to listen to Splinter. Maybe I will review that next. Pleas visit my blog for more reviews, cjamc.blogspot.com.
Thanks for reading.
GOOD ALBUM OFFSPRING ROCKS!!!! WELL this a good album i am a huge fan of the band this is there newist album i just bought it if you like the band it is a must buy
Met my very high expectations I had been waiting for this cd for almost 5 years. That is an eternity when your second favorite (after Bad Religion) band takes that long to release their next album. I love all of The Offspring's cds, and I had incredibly high expectations for this, and they were met. The ONLY problem I have with this cd (and their last) is they are just too short. Granted, this one is 10 minutes longer than "Splinter," and it's not unusual for punk cd's to clock in at 30 minutes or even less, but I was just hoping that after 5 years they could put together 45 or 50 minutes. But hey, if that's your only complaint, maybe that just means it's so good that it seems to fly by and you simply don't want it to end. The first half of the album is pretty fast-paced and then slows down. But the slow songs are also incredible, with the exception of "Fix You," which I unfortunately would have to say is the Offspring's worst song ever. I usually skip that track, and I can't say that about any other Offspring song on any other record (actually maybe "Denial, Revisited" from Conspiracy of One too). But other than that, you have your standard fast Offspring melodic rock and roll, with Dexter's voice sounding better than ever at 42. If you liked Offspring's previous records you should definitely like this one. I can't wait for the next one to come out in 2019.
Good, but not great Good, but not great. This band isn't what it used to be. I really enjoyed Smash, Ixnay, and Americana. After that they didn't fall apart, but the albums became average and safe. You know what to expect.
Good Effort I like The Offspring, I think this album is a good effort. I don't think it will make the hardcore punks happy, I don't think it will stand out with the mainstream. It's a catchy album but it loses me right about the fifth or sixth track. (And "Fix You" and "Rise And Fall" sound a little Green Dayish to me). Not bad though. It's something new to listen to.
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