| The Offspring - Splinter |
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| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | ||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Dan MacIntosh | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday, 09 December 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
It’s a little hard to believe, but Orange County, CA’s the Offspring has been with us for over a decade now. Before you know it, they’ll be in line to become the Grand-Offspring, or something like that. Before this punk outfit shuffles off to the rocking old people’s home, however, it’s given us plenty of new earsplitting noise with the album Splinter. Vocalist (using the term “vocalist” as loosely as humanly possible) Dexter Holland is no great shakes as a singer, but over the years, his rough-edged whine has somehow grown increasingly endearing. This time out, he gives his limited instrument a few different musical settings. For instance, he plays the jazzy part of the Roaring Twenties crooner on the intentionally hilarious “When You’re In Prison.” The track includes all the pops and cracks of an old 78 recording for extra added effect, and its lyric offers funny warnings about how to get out of the joint alive with one’s sanity still in place. In his over-the-top and smarmy voice, Holland reminds any and all convicts-to-be, “Don’t be no one’s bitch.” This one may be the funniest bits of musical irony since the “Christmas on Death Row” album from a few years back. If you happen to enjoy the Offspring’s “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)” hit, you’ll likely also dig “Hit That,” which is just a tad funky because of its running keyboard part. “The Worst Hangover Ever” additionally offers up happy reggae, along with a touch of urban scratching, for a most un-punk track. Its words once again reveal the Offspring’s self-deprecating sense of humor, as it bemoans headache-producing morning-after symptoms. One other musical differential from the norm here is “Spare Me The Details,” which rides over a slightly flamenco-ish acoustic guitar arrangement, for a bit of a tropical feel. For the most part, however, “Splinter” is a mostly fast punk rock affair. This power quotient is amply demonstrated on “Never Gonna Find Me,” “Lightning Rod,” “Da Hui” and “The Noose.” The only track, in fact, that sounds way out of place here is “Race Against Myself,” which is a slightly slower hard rock song. It could easily pass for a generic Bon Jovi anthem (which is probably not the kind of comparison the Offspring, or their fans, would appreciate at all). With Splinter, the Offspring reasserts its sibling staying power with style, which keeps it looking relatively fly for a bunch of dorky white guys. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
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