Review of Americana
By Mark Lonergan
Americana, n. 1. Books, papers, maps, etc., relating to America,
esp. to its history and geography. 2. A collection of such materials.
Americana, n. A mediocre effort from So-Cal punksters The
Offspring, suitable for chilling with friends and downloading off Napster.
Seven years ago The Offspring was one of
the standouts among the West Coast bands invading America’s airwaves. Along
with Green Day, Social Distortion, and Rancid, they took the angst of grunge,
added in some social commentary (“Come out and Play”) and self-deprecating
humor (“Self Esteem”), and created their modernized version of the punk
sound.
That was seven years ago. Now The Offspring sound like an anachronism when heard
on the radio. This is due in no small part to their mediocre release Americana.
I can only guess that the name Americana is reference to the numerous
melodies and song structures that The Offspring borrow from better songs and
better bands. “Why Don’t You Get A Job” blatantly takes its vocal melody
from Simon & Garfunkle’s “Cecilia,” but even that can’t save this
halfhearted attempt at humor.
“Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” does much better in the humor department, but
the music never rises above the generic. Apparently The Offspring paid Def
Leppard $10,000 for sampling rights to the quote “Gunter glieben glauchen
globen,” which appears at the beginning of both The Offspring track and Def
Leppard’s “Rock of Ages.” I have no idea what purpose it serves, except to
annoy the hell out of me when it is played on the radio. It’s torture, really.
I get all psyched up to listen to Def Lep, and instead end up hearing “Pretty
Fly.”
Despite those let-downs, Americana is not without its standout tracks.
The title song starts off sounding like punked-out Black Sabbath, slips into a
more straight forward groove, and is filled with a raw energy and intelligent
lyrics. “She’s Got Issues” will make for great background music at
parties. The closing track, “Pay the Man,” is more musically adventuresome
than the rest of the album and will leave listeners satisfied.
But the overall I feeling I get from this CD is that I am listening to a rich
man’s version of Bad Religion. The Offspring try so hard to stick to a formula
that their rage sounds feigned and their performances sound tired. Hopefully
their next album – the band is currently in the studio – will return to the
form of 94’s Smash.
Mood:
Chillin'
Hear it?:
Download the MP3's
