Likes: 
Faceplams: My sister is in love with this band, utterly obsessed. The only positive thing I can say about these guys is that the leader singer's hot sauce is great.
Active Member
My sister is in love with this band, utterly obsessed. The only positive thing I can say about these guys is that the leader singer's hot sauce is great.
.net (24.24.2.1447)
Dirty magic is (was) an awesome song. If it's a rerecording then great. They talked about "vultures" on conspiracy of one being similar when promoting that album but it sucked.
smash and ixnay are great. pay the man from Americana is an offcut from ixnay and worth adding. Their cover of agent orange's bloodstains is fantastic.
Last edited by jmtd; 06-09-2012 at 03:29 AM.
FATUM NOS IUNGET
Pretty apparent that this guy's blatantly trolling the board at this point, I can't be the only one seeing it.
As for the new single, holy crap. Of course if you read the comments by the fanboys, you know they're all about 'IT'S A PARODY, YOU JUST DON'T GET IT.' They fail to realize however that this is the same group that wrote the song 'Bad Habit'. If they were always like this, or kinda like this...big deal. But Ignition and Smash were solid. Fucking. Albums. Sure, kinda lame in a high schoolish kinda way but fuck it, I was in junior high and they were catchy. I never even really considered them 'punk'...I always look to Black Flag and the other type of stuff to be more punk than the schoolyard stuff like NOFX, Lagwagon, yada yada...but you can't deny the Offspring's older material wasn't still solid. Now it's just laughable in one of the most obvious cash grabs I can even think of...
Stubby Member
I feel really bad for these guys actually. There isn't really a lane in music for bratty pop-punk that's made by guys who look like your dad does and who, if your dad lived in Orange County during the 80s, probably went to some of the same shows as he did. They're in it for the money, that much is obvious, but I don't think they should be condemned for that. It's not like any of these dudes have marketable skills outside of music, and they've all got kids, mortgages, and looming old age to think about. I would bet money that they like their new single about as much as you do. It sucks to watch them flail about in public, out of ideas and low on interest, trying to pay the bills in an era where no one pays for music and even fewer want to pay for theirs.Originally Posted by october_midnight
And yeah, he totally is. Does he bug you, though? I think he's pretty harmless and sometimes even funny. On the old ETS he'd be one of those guys with a massive warning bar nearly all the way into the red below his avatar. The next time he comes around and posts some piss-take thread like the Vanilla Ice one, let's just highjack it and post about European power electronic music or, I dunno, Belle and Sebastian or Lil' Jon.Pretty apparent that this guy's blatantly trolling the board at this point, I can't be the only one seeing it.
Last edited by BlueCalx; 06-09-2012 at 10:28 PM.
Stubby Member
On June 26, the Offspring return with their ninth LP, Days Go By. In celebration of the new release, singer Dexter Holland and guitarist Noodles offered us an exclusive track-by-track breakdown of the album. Check it out below!
"The Future Is Now"
Dexter Holland: It's about the dangers of technology. You see people on their cell phones constantly. Everybody is in the same room but no one is looking at each other or speaking. You start to think, 'Does technology really bring us together, or does it isolate us? Does it help us, or does it hurt us? Does it give us more freedom, or does it enslave us in a way?' Everyone is tied to his or her device all of the time. What technology does to us as a society is an interesting idea. It's something I want to explore more on the next record too. I decided to make an allusion to it now and put it out there as the first song on this album. We'll see where it goes.
Noodles: I love that song. It's a straightforward rock song. It's got some punk attitude for sure, but it's upbeat. There's a lot going on in it guitar-wise. There's also a great piano breakdown in the middle. It's a really dynamic song, while some of it is unadulterated aggression. It's a great opener.
"Secrets from the Underground"
Holland: One side of Days Go By is the idea that things are tough but they will get better. Another very real side of the album is that people are also getting pissed off. They feel like they've had enough. You can almost sense something in the air, whether it be the Occupy movements or the elections. People are about ready to turn the tables. It's an observation and a warning. Something's got to give or something's really going to give.
Noodles: That song reminds me of T.S.O.L. That's one band that ties us all together. We share a love of that band and all of their music for sure-until they went metal. Even then, we secretly bought those records and enjoyed them [laughs].
"Days Go By"
Holland: It tied everything together and was the most representative of what I was trying to get at. Time marches on. We have to get through life and pull ourselves up by our boot straps. No one is going to do it for you. At the same time, there's a message of hope, and I wanted that to come across. The last few years have been really tough on a lot of people. You can see it on TV or in the newspaper. The song doesn't simply say, "Let's revolt." It's about the spirit that things can get better.
Noodles: It's a mid-tempo rock song as well. Lyrically, I like the meaning behind the song. You can't listen to one song and know what this album is about. There's so much going on. It empathizes with everyone struggling in the world. It's about hanging tough. These days will go by and get better. It's a song of commiseration and hope. I hope it's something a lot of people can relate to.
"Turning Into You"
Holland: That came up quickly. We wanted to write something straightforward. The idea of trying to make your own way, do your own thing, and be your own person but feeling pressured to be somebody else or act like somebody else is a universal feeling. You could talk about it when you're in high school all the way up to the corporate world. It's about resisting it. There's an old school punk sentiment to resist the pressure of what people tell you to be or tell you to do. You're deciding for yourself what you want to be.
Noodles: It's got a drum loop which is very not punk, but it works well [laughs]. I really like that. It's a cool juxtaposition, and it adds some tension to that song. You might enjoy somebody's company, but they're really not so reciprocal. You end up trying to please somebody and all you do is end up losing yourself in a relationship. Some relationships can be toxic, and it may take a while to realize it.
"Hurting As One"
Holland: That chorus is, "Broken in two, but hurting as one." That could apply to a relationship or your country.
Noodles: It can be powerful when people unite as one voice. They're not going to go away. They're hurting as one too.
"Cruising California (Bumpin' in My Trunk)"
Holland: As I was writing this record, I realized I was writing some heavier songs, and they were a bit serious. Having some fun songs has always been a part of our band. I thought, 'I should write a couple of songs that are a little more fun and on the lighter side'. Towards the end of the album, I wrote 'Cruising California.' It's about what it'd be like if I was driving down the beach in my hometown on a nice sunny day in Southern California. I live in Huntington Beach so I thought that's what I should write about. My hometown is great, and there's a lot of fun reflected in the song. At the same time, there are some shady and seedy parts. I tried to put both of them in the lyrics. It's a great place, but there's a dark underbelly as well. Huntington Beach had some of the biggest riots in the '80s and '90s so that side of the place always existed. At the end of the day, I want people to know it's a fun, summer song. Bob told me to write about Huntington. It seems weird to write about your hometown-like you're bragging or something. He said people in the rest of the world have a different perception of California. It's like a dream place. It might be where you live, but others don't see it the way you do. You've got to have fun. It's also a good way to cope. There's a lot of silly stuff out there, and it's good to laugh and have fun with it.
Noodles: It's a silly fun and song. Some of the tracks are more serious and require more thought from the listener. This is about shaking your ass. I call these kinds of songs 'ear worms.' They stay stuck in your head and wriggle around for a few days. I wanted to call it 'Caboose.' That would've worked too.
"All I Have Left Is You"
Holland: It's a different song because we're using a lot of keyboards. The subject matter is a relationship. Relationship songs can be really dark and depressing. Or if they're romantic, they don't feel right for our band because we don't want to be cheesy. If I'm writing about a relationship, there will be two sides to it. Things aren't black and white in real life. There's always some gray area. You can be the best and worst guy in the world at the same time. You can take the song a couple of different ways. It could be that the lovers are hanging on through the storm because all they have left is each other. That's the romantic way. Or, it could be one person is hanging on even though they should be apart. You can interpret it opposite ways even though it's the same lyrics.
Noodles: There are some pretty guitar parts in it that provide a yin and yang with all that sadness.
"O.C. Guns"
Holland: That's one of the songs I built on for a long time. It came in as a reggae riff. I started playing this riff on the bass. We put a little drum to it. We were bopping our heads, and we let the thing roll. We kept going back to it. The song talks about how Orange County can be a dangerous place. I've lived here my whole life, and I've commuted up to L.A. so I've definitely been through the bad neighborhoods daily. It's dangerous, but it's fun at the same time. We thought it would be really interesting to have mariachi in there. Mariachi and reggae are very different musical styles. I never heard mariachi in a reggae song so that was a challenge. I was happy with how it turned out. It has a unique sound to it.
Noodles: It sounds like an Offspring song, but it's different. The Mariachi stuff was so fun. It was really hard to get those two musical styles to blend, but once we figured out how to get them to fit right with each other, it was great. Reggae is usually sitting on the beach kind of vibe. This song has some menace to it.
"Dirty Magic"
Holland: It's an old song. We actually recorded that for the first time on our second record Ignition. It was right before Smash. More people know about the music post-Smash than the stuff prior. It's a hardcore fan record, and the one song fans pointed to off that album is "Dirty Magic." We started putting it in our live sets, but most people weren't familiar with it. We had a tiny budget when we recorded Ignition. I think we did the whole thing in nine days. It was really rushed, and we probably did the whole song in two hours. We wanted to make it fuller and bigger and do it the way we'd always wanted it to sound.
Noodles: It was great to re-approach that. We know our way around a studio better than we did back then and we had Bob on board. I was stoked to add texture and layers to the song. A lot of old school fans ask us to play that song. That one never got its due.
Stubby Member
"I Wanna Secret Family With You"
Holland: There have to be a couple of funny songs on the record. The idea of a secret family is something I've heard about. You always hear the story of a pilot who has families in different countries. The other family is his 'secret family.' It's a funny thing to sing about. In this story, it's a guy who goes into a strip club. The idea is he's so infatuated with this girl he wants to have a secret family with her. It's not a nice compliment, but the guy in the song assumes it is. I hear It happens! I saw Will Ferrell accept an award and say, "I want to thank my family, and I also want to thank my secret family." He knew about it [laughs]!
Noodles: It's got a doo wop rock 'n' roll structure that fits the vibe.
"Dividing By Zero"
Holland: "Dividing By Zero' and "Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell" both sound like one song, and that was the idea. It was intentional. Those were actually the last two we did for this record. We thought it would be cool to put two short songs together almost as if it were a short punk medley that adds up to one five minute song. That's it musically. Lyrically, it's about vengeance. It's the idea that something is coming back to you. When I read those lyrics, it sounds like a military guy on a bombing mission, someone going after Osama, or someone getting tried for fraud. The idea of vengeance in a pure adulterated way. It's an unapologetic eye for an eye. People tend to temper that, but it's about tapping into what that emotion is.
Noodles: These two songs could've been on Ignition. We might not have played them as well [laughs]. They're super fun.
"Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell"
Holland: The idea is the world's going to hell so let's have a drink and watch it burn. We started talking about Nero, and Slim Pickens came up. It's a great reference to wave the cowboy hat and ride the bomb all the way down. That became the metaphor for the song.
Noodles: The Slim Pickens reference adds a comedic tone to the song. That movie was hilarious, but it was very dark too. That's what this song is. It's a nihilistic thing, but at the same time we're making fun of the nihilists. It's not bad for 2 minutes and 50 seconds.
http://www.spinner.com/2012/06/12/th...rack-by-track/
The Virus Inside
The sad thing is... I'm kinda excited about hearing this album from those descriptions. Sounds like there might be a few decent tracks on there.
Still up in the air about how I feel about them re-recording "Dirty Magic" but at least this confirms it is a redo and they're not just rehashing their old song titles now.
Stubby Member
Days Gone By-Entire New Album-Now Streaming
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/album-premiere-the-offspring-stretch-out-on-days-go-by-20120619
On their earliest recordings, the Offspring worried about varying genres within a single album. But now, as frontman Dexter Holland tells Rolling Stone, checking in by phone from Amsterdam, the Orange County punk rockers have no problem throwing caution to the wind.
"It was a really good experience feeling like we could bring anything to the table," the singer says of the multi-year recording process that resulted in the band's diverse ninth studio release, Days Go By. "It was really cool to say 'Hey, fuck it.'"
Days Go By, due next Tuesday, retains the band's classic punk-rock vibe. But it also takes sharp left turns: album cuts veer from whiplash-punk ("Secrets from the Underground") to riff-rock ("Days Go By"), reggae ("OC Guns") and harmonized pop ("Cruising California (Bumping in My Truck)"). "I always felt like we would be bored if we had a similar style from record to record," Holland says, referencing the album's sharp contrast to the band's previous release, 2008's Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace. "We've got to mix it up just to keep it entertaining for ourselves."
One key element of Rise and Fall did carry over: the band again worked with veteran producer Bob Rock (Aerosmith, Metallica). "He's such a great producer," Holland says. "We didn't know each other before the last record, but it went really well, so we thought we'd try it again. I knew it could go one of two ways – either it's gonna get better 'cause we're more comfortable working with each other, or sometimes you get too comfortable and nobody listens to each other anymore." He pauses. "Luckily that didn't happen."
The new album, as Holland notes, allowed the band – which includes guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg "Greg K." Kriesel and its newest addition, drummer Pete Parada – to take risks while also serving as a mechanism to toast their history. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the band's sophomore release, Ignition. In addition to playing the record in its entirety at recent concerts, they also re-recorded one of its standout tracks, "Dirty Magic."
"Every time we tried to play 'Dirty Magic,' five people would jump up and down and the rest of the audience was scratching their heads," says Holland. "But it was always one of those songs that kept on coming up. We thought it was worth another look." The new version sounds far cleaner than its grimy original, a product of more time spent in the studio. "When we (originally) recorded it, it was super on-the-fly – we probably only spent, like, three hours doing the whole song," Holland explains. "This time we thought we could make it bigger and better without really changing it."
Holland doesn't mind waxing nostalgic. But as many of the lyrics on Days Go By indicate, he's also keeping his eye on the present. The title track encourages people to pick themselves up from the past few years' economic challenges, while the album's Dr. Strangelove-referencing closing track, "Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell," Holland notes, has a different mantra: "The world is going to hell, so fuck it, let's watch it burn."
The Offspring have been road-testing their new material ("I can't wait to take them everywhere," Holland says) while abroad, and the singer says the band plans to play a slew of U.S. dates this fall. Aside from basking in the positive reception of European audiences, he's begun to notice the takeover of electronic dance music while overseas. "There's a place in the world for everything," he says, chuckling. "I just have a laugh at it and go 'Right on. Whatever floats your boat.'"
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/ne...#ixzz1yH3SBhQw
Last edited by W Axl Rose; 06-19-2012 at 03:51 PM.
The Virus Inside
OK folks, it's out...
Oh God am I ever disappointed! But, all in all... what did I really expect after all. I mean after hearing that cruising california and days go by singles I had a feeling this album was going to suck, but I still had some hope, as I did like their last record, I felt that was a step in the right direction, but this is just mediocre pop fluff.
The highlight of the album was beleive it or not, Dirty Magic and guess what? That's not even a new song!! They didn't even try and make it different. You know how some bands re-record the same song, but in a different style? This song is exactly the same! I mean, it sounds a little more polished and perfected, but is that neseccarily a good thing? Sometimes the raw and imperfect sound of a song is awesome... It sounded exactly the same, same exact song, almost same recording.
So that was the highlight of the album, for a minute there I actually thought I was listening to old offspring, until the song changed and I realzied it was the new crap. These guys did this as a cash grab. They're seriously all washed up. They probably figured if they re-recorded an old song, old fans would think the whole album is kind of old school sounding, but this is far from the case. The first half of the album is pure rubbish!
OK, so I found myself enjoying O.C. Guns as well. But that's because it's someting completly different from what these guys usually do. Well... kind of. I would classify this song as a mix of reggae and spanish and a theme to an 80s sitcom. It actually feels like this could be a TV theme to a 80s sitcom or a cartoon show or something, it's rather weird... but it's kinda cool, in an odd way.
The last 2 songs are probably the closest you are going to get to old school Offspring "Punk" on this album. They are fast and short songs. Dividing By Zero and
Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell. Those songs are made for the old fans, they are quick, rock n' roll punk rock songs that get in your face and fuck shit up. I enjoyed these songs. If only the whole album was like this, they would have a very solid and awesome record. Not sure what compells them to make crap like "crusin' california" and almost every other dumb ass pop-rock song in the first 1-7 songs, But these 2 songs show they still have it in them to make song good punkish sounding songs.
Oh well... I give this album a 4/10. Each of the 4 songs listed above get a point towards the final score. Everything else is rubbish.
FATUM NOS IUNGET
Pretty sure it's safe to assume that any album, from any band, in any thread, from W Axl Rose is a safe bet to just avoid like the plague.
Active Member
Listened to the new album over the weekend and it's not very good. The first 2 or 3 songs were ok, a bunch of bullshit songs in the middle. I like the original version of Dirty Magic better, this version isn't much different but I don't like the small ways they changed the chorus. Overall it's lame that they recorded that song again because they didn't even really change it enough to make it worth it.
.net (24.24.2.1447)
I'm curious to hear the rerecording. The original suffers from the primitive mastering. I've always loved a live version of the song I found once.
Yeah, you've pointed that out already... Despite it being a troll thread we've still got some good discussion out of it.
Last edited by jmtd; 07-24-2012 at 02:37 AM.
The Virus Inside
"Smash" marked it's 20th anniversary recently. To celebrate, the band is releasing a 20th anniversary special edition, as well as going to be playing the album from start to finish at select tour dates this summer.
http://offspring.com/news/398/smash-20th-anniversary
I would defiantly go check out a "smash live" show. It's their best album, would love to hear it live beginning to end.
.net (24.24.2.1447)
Awesome. I might break out my "self esteem" 12" to celebrate.
Edit: some bonus tracks would have been welcome.
Last edited by jmtd; 04-20-2014 at 03:16 PM.
Stubby Member
Man, it sucks pretty hard that Offspring is FINALLY coming to play in Finland and I got to have a show with my own band at the same night.... If we're up early that night then I might drive and go see them because it's not that far where we are playing (Helsinki).
.net (24.24.2.1447)
Agreed, a superfluous reissue sadly. I might see about catching one of their Smash tour shows though.
The Virus Inside
Yeah, this re-release screams cash grab, unfortunately. Smash has always been my favourite album of theirs. It's the one and only album I have held onto all these years while I sold all the other records of theirs I used to own.
Wish there was more to this package in terms of demos or unreleased songs or live material from the era.
Oh well... I would definatly love to see a smash show if they came near me this summer.
Even though Dexter is getting up there in age. I've seen recent photos of him and he's not looking to well, he's gained alot of weight. I wonder how his voice sounds these days. I'll check out some youtube videos when they start trickling in to see if it's still worth the price of admission.
.net (24.24.2.1447)
TBH for me at least, his voice was never all that. I reckon Ron Welty leaving had more impact on their sound, but I haven't heard the new one (or the guy in-between).
Behold the morning star
Holy shit he looks old as fuck.
Member
Yikes... cut back on the meat and sweets.
Administrator
Seeing that photo made me feel old.
Active Member
you and me both my brother
Administrator
When I read this thread yesterday, I was thinking "You know, maybe I'd go see them play Smash the whole way through."
Now I'm thinking...
...maybe that would be awkward.
Stubby Member
Yeah,I couldn't possibly be a big fan of The Offspring who owns everything they've ever released and seen them live for close to 20 years now. You got me there,Brosef. I often like to stay after shows and meet bands that I don't like so I can get cred by posting about it on ETS
Last edited by W Axl Rose; 04-25-2014 at 06:43 PM.
FATUM NOS IUNGET
Cool, you met the 71 year old from that band that was big 20 years ago.
So cold it can sting.
Huh, they are talking about The Offspring on ETS? And not in the Nickelback thread? Day's made.
Yeah, sadly besides that 15 minutes of Smash fame (and another 5 seconds with Pretty Fly) 'spring has always been that one band everyone hates, for their sound is too poppy for tru panx, but still way too edgy to get real airplay, unlike Green Day. But I love 'em.
Nowadays most of the bashing goes solely for their appearances, but I'm still kinda glad Dex got old and fat, it seemed to have improved his live singing a lot. I know it's strange, and it's possible that the two things just happened at the same time, without having effect on one another, but still. Good for them.
Last edited by Microwave Jellyfish; 04-25-2014 at 09:00 PM. Reason: daddy called me a silly bore.
Stubby Member
New Offspring! Coming For You. I dig it. It's a catchy tune. Thoughts/opinions?
.net (24.24.2.1447)
Haven't listened yet. Not sure if I've recovered from the dirty magic cover/rework yet! They're touring the UK around my birthday...
Active Member
Laughable lyrics, plastic production and formulaic song writing.
Sounds like the epitome of arena butt rock. Smash is still cool at least.
Active Member
I heard "Self-Esteem" for the first time in forever the other day, took me back to the 90's and I remembered what a good song it is. I want to revisit their catalog. I remember liking their first 3-4 albums but they kind of lost me with "Pretty Fly For a White Guy." I haven't heard any of their more recent albums.
Reply With Quote
