Published on May 13, 2004
Anti-disestablishment heroes — well, these guys have to be
commended for what they write. Rock music was always a product of
the non-conformist. It doesn’t matter whether you make sense or
not; as long as you speak against anything, you are a rock
musician. Not that there is anything wrong in being mean, but
taking the attitude to blinding heights does wear off the charisma
of being a leftist. On the other side, however, rock sounds its
best, when it cries — or rather rants — over something.
Now, if you are a hardcore rocker, and are depressed of writing
songs about depression, and being depressed, again and again and
again, then what on earth do you do? Where on earth do you find
your fuel to fire you into writing blazing tunes? Well, you need to
be unhappy about something to write unhappy songs about. In such a
case, you write about anti-disestablishment, and this is exactly
what the boys of Offspring write. If rock sings for destruction,
these guys sing for anti-destruction. This doesn’t necessarily mean
that they sing for construction; after all, they are rockers,
too.
The Offspring is a very clever band. They write meaningful,
sardonic lyrics that are not only cheekily written, but also well
sung, amidst the wonderfully hard punk-rock music they make.
Americana is an album full of sense and humor. Unlike other
rock acts, they don’t despair over how bad the world has been to
them, but instead laugh out loud over the things which we so
deliberately do wrong. Each song comes out with a new way of
laughing over the frivolity and stupidity of mankind, and its
“culture.”
The Offspring has a fantastic sense of humor. A few of
Americana‘s songs really make one laugh, with their oozing
sarcasm, and the zest and the shamelessness with which the band
presents them. “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)”, for instance, about
a white wannabe in his search for “cool,” with its absolutely
hilarious lyrics is made more inane and laughable by the quirky
sound effects which the band has so seriously added. Also, plain
rock songs like “She’s Got Issues,” about the plights of having a
girlfriend, and “Walla Walla,” about a guy’s perpetual love for
stealing, are as sarcastic as the band can get; and who can forget
the ingenuous “Why Don’t You Get A Job?” with a reggae twist, just
to keep life more interesting.
As clever as the band is in being humorous, it is equally clever
in writing the more serious songs of
Americana. Again, they are not serious about how depressing
their lives have been; they are serious about how life can go
wrong. The opening track, “Have You Ever,” is a straightforward
song about the days or the period of time in life through which one
passes during which nothing goes right. “The Kids Aren’t Alright”
is another hard-hitting song about how youth can go absolutely
wrong. Probably one of the best songs of the album, “Americana” —
about the pop culture of today — is a perfect example of The
Offspring’s anti-disestablishment attitude, in which Dexter Holland
so aptly sings, “…now give me my cable, fast food,
four-by’s, that’s right away, I want it right now ’cause my
generation don’t like to wait.”
With
Americana, and with The Offspring itself, it may seem as if
punk has gone pop. This band may not be the hardcore antagonizing
punk outfit, but this doesn’t mean that it has no spunk at all. It
knows exactly how to channel its anger, and at the same time be
sensible. Unlike a lot of other rock outfits, these guys are
straightforward and unpretentious.
Americana is a clever, sarcastic, clean punk-rock album, and
an excellent one.