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 Surprized Me Oct 02, 2009
A few years ago a Japanese friend of mine unexpectedly gave me this CD to listen to for a while. I'm not familiar with any other Offspring songs, so I expected this to be the usual angry troubled successful rich guys yelling into the microphone about whatever. About halfway through the second listen (OK, I wasn't paying much attention the first time) I realized these songs are pretty hilarious. I'm sure my Japanese friend had no inkling of the humor. I really grew to like the album overall, and later bought my own copy. Rather than some hate-filled rant, it seems to me this is a relatively thoughtful call to examine more closely some of the things that are seriously wrong with America.
quick, and no hassles Jul 10, 2009
I received the cd in just a few days. No waiting and worrying. Thanks so much.
1 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 The most inane and annoying band to hit the the radio - I mean it Jun 03, 2009
When I heard "Come Out and Play" in the middle 1990s bands like Nirvana, Silverchair and The Presidents of the United States of America were testing the faith I had as a child in commercial radio but was rapidly losing. At first, I thought the song was by an Australian band (whose name I will not mention) I had read about but never heard (later a familiar tale for me) and it was only after I had really come to detest the Offspring that I realised "Come Out and Play" had been thier first hit single.
During the 1990s I had a stereotyped image of "alternative" music as loud, tuneless noise whose critical praise I could never grasp (not at the time did I care). If you want to keep that image, the Offspring is exactly the band to hear. Their songs, all along, tend towards the inanely catchy at the expense of the slightest substance, in exactly the same manner as bands like Slade and Gary Glitter did in the early 1970s for audiences who could not resist a song like "Rock and Roll" or "Cum on Feel Tha Noize".
If anything, the Offspring were sillier than those terrible glam bands, and though their sound was harder and more emotional the manner in which their songs would hit one's brain with a terrible aftertaste is quite unlike most previous pop music. The awful tunelessness and lack of harmony can be seen on "Why Don't You Get A Job", which could be a rewrite of the justly deplored "Breakfast at Tiffany's" from a few years before. When they really move close to metal on "Have You Ever", Dexter Holland sounds as if he is straining to be heard, whist "Staring at the Sun" is just a terrible punk pop number. The way in which Dexter Holland uses obscenities as humour makes a band who pay with a self-conscious childishness that no doubt appeals to the many angry young kids in American and even Australian cities. It does not, however, detract from the fact that self-conscious childishness makes for the worst possible music because it clearly shows the musicians involved feel only on the shallowest possible emotional level. The Offspring like the spoilt childish person I have always been owing to autistic problems - only they will not even try to discuss their problems with a sympathetic counsellor and instead make a living out of acting this role. The problems the Offspring sing about are not deep or even personal, but relate to hated Others who become criticised without reason or feeling.
The Offspring, despite their history on an independent label, sound on radio like a band manufactured for children to prevent them from growing up. Anyone with a serious interest in music will know that strategy is the worst possible one to make music that can be easily listened to or remembered.
 Mixed bag. Feb 19, 2009
Americana by The Offspring is a good album but not as clever as Smash. The Offspring mix silly punk songs with deep rock tracks. Pretty Fly for a White Guy, She's Got Issues, Feelings, and The Kids Aren't Alright are the standouts. Ok album but could've been stronger. Like the album cover though!
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 A Few Good Songs... Plus A Load of Crap to Fill Space Dec 30, 2008
I have had a large background in music, and I rate albums based on how good they sound as a whole, not because an album has one or two great songs. I'm going to basically give you my rating of each individual song, minus the first track because it's literally 10 seconds long.
1. (no review)
2. Well... this is a really crappy way to start an album. There are way to many "falllllllllling"'s in this song. It's like they ran out of material to use for lyrics, so they replaced any interesting lyrics by rehashing the same word over and over. But don't worry, that's a minor complaint on my part. What really killed the song was how unoriginal it sounds all together. They aren't breaking any new ground, this kind of song has been done a million times before. This gets 1 star.
3. I'm not sure about anyone else out there, but this song has an incredibly similar theme to the one preceding it. Sure it's fast, but speed can't save a train wreck of a song. There really isn't any point in listening to it again once you've heard it the first time. This also gets 1 star.
4. Here's the single best song this album has to offer. Not much to say here that hasn't already been said. This was the album's hit, and it's worth giving multiple listens. I'd recommend buying this single instead of the whole album, but this still gets 5 stars.
5. And... back to the crap. Dex is really overusing the meaningless screaming on this album, it seems. At least there's harmony in it, but it doesn't save the song. Still gets 1 star.
6. Hardcore cover of an old song that everyone knows... and they butchered it. This is a disgrace, just skip it for the love of god. I'd rank it lower, but unfortunately it gets 1 star.
7. This is my personal favorite for the album. The lyrics are a bit iffy in some sections of the song, but it's a solid piece of music that all guys can relate to. Everyone ends up dating that one girl that we find it is completely insane. Come to think of it, it goes the other way too. 5 stars.
8. I know a lot of people liked this song, but I really don't see why. It's decent, but nothing exceptional. I'll give it 3 stars.
9. This sounds similar to most of the other songs on the album, aside from being painful to listen to. I thought that the lyrics couldn't get any more uninspired... I was wrong. This gets 1 star.
10. I think I lost a few IQ points listening to this crap. It sounds like something the band put together last minute to extend the album's length. I dunno why they'd do that, considering it's only a two minute song anyway. It's the same theme they've been using since their first album, and it's been overused by far. My minimum rating is 1 star, so I have to give this song that.
11. This is actually a pretty funny song, and I find myself singing the first line from time to time. "My friend's got a girlfriend and he hates that bitch..." Anyway, I'll give this 3 stars just because it's an amusing little song that is decently memorable.
12. I have to say that this is above average. The bass line at the beginning is really catchy, and my favorite part of the song. The worst part is the chorus, but the good thing is that they didn't overdo it as much as everything else on the album. This song manages to stand out, so I'm giving it 4 stars.
13. Ah I see. THIS was the song put in to fill space. Don't even listen to it. Just stop the album after Americana so you can end with a good song. Trust me, you'll thank me later. This pointless song gets what it deserves: 1 star.
I averaged every song's rating together and came up with my rating of the album overall. Buy the three or four decent songs on Itunes, but don't waste your money on the whole thing.
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