The Offspring- Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

Well, having just finished listening to Pennywise, here's another punk-rock album but it couldn't be any more different! Here we have The Offspring's eighth album, which was released in 2008 (five years after Splinter).

Half-truism wastes no time getting into Offspring's key talent: infectious, fast-paced energy that is bags of fun. Half-truism also sees some dabbling into emo-esque breakdowns, which unfortunately feel a bit disjointed sometimes, due to some awkward transitions. But they do give the song an interesting structure and provide nice constrast. I only wish the song ended on a high, with a final burst of vintage Offspring energy.

The final song, Rise And Fall also cranks out said energy for the chorus with great results. Unfortunately, the rest of the song is a shallow ditty and gets old very quickly. Similarly, Takes Me Nowhere and Nothingtown feel generic and uninspired. And Takes Me Nowhere is strangely quieter than the previous song, perhaps due to poor mastering.

Warning: rants ahead... Trust In You is single-handedly ruined by the awful keyboard backing in the chorus. Perhaps I'm over-reacting, but it's a disturbing reminder of the woeful efforts of Hit That, Special Delivery, etc. Yuk! And then there's Offspring's somewhat amusing history of cringeworthy attempts at ska, a tradition which Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom continues, this time in a Goldfinger style. Finally, Stuff Is Messed Up has a cracking riff, but the song is let down by... ummm... everything else...

The goth-rock influences (and perhaps U2) of A Lot Like Me actually work quite well. It's not a favourite song for me, but I do appreciate the variety it injects into the album. Kristy Are You Doing Ok? is a pretty generic skate-punk ballad, but somehow I really like it. On the other hand, the other ballad, Fix You is just whiney and painful.

Finally, there's a song which is in another league: You're Gonna Go Far Kid. The song jumps all over the place with contrasting sections that are slightly disjointed, although this madness also keeps the song fresh somehow. Each section is pure gold in its own right, such as the fuax-disco verses to the swirling pre-chorus. And, of course, the highlight is the bouncing, 110% energy chorus. Thrill-a-minute brilliance.

Favourite songs

Half-truism, You're Gonna Go Far Kid, Kristy Are You Doing Ok

I diggit?

Yes. Pretty much solely for You're Gonna Go Far Kid, which is an all-time favourite Offspring song of mine.