The Offspring "Splinter" Columbia Records Pop punk
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The Offspring used to be categorized along with bands like Green Day and blink-182 as one of the original pop punk bands and it still is in some sense. Its new album begs to differ. "Hit That," the first single off the Offspring's latest contribution to the music world, sounds like a joke on first listen. The song's beat is comprised mostly of high-pitched keyboard notes that are so ridiculous that it is hard to focus on the actually catchy vocals and guitar riffs.
Luckily the rest of the 12 songs off this CD are significantly better than "Hit That," although that's not really saying much. After releasing "Hit That" as the first single, it is no wonder Offspring fans have been less than willing to embrace "Splinter." The Offspring, which became an undeniable success with the release of "Smash" in 1994 on indie label Epitaph, seems to be slowly losing credibility with its fans. In 1997 the band drew fire for its switch to major label Columbia Records, eliciting criticism from label-mates on Epitaph as well as fans.
"Splinter" is certainly not up
to par with any of the Offspring's previous releases, but it does,
however, have its merits. The second single off the album, "(Can't Get My) Head Around You," is
a truly rockin' pop punk song that is more reminiscent of the Offspring prior to its move to the majors. Another song off "Splinter," "Spare Me the Details," sounds a
lot like Green Day, but offers very Offspring-like lyrics, such as "I'm not the one who acted like a ho/why must I be the one who
has to know..."
The album offers other pretty solid tracks that all boast pounding beats and three-chord guitar parts fronted by singer Dexter Holland's mildly flat vocals, but there is nothing truly outstanding about "Splinter." The release as a whole is somewhat bland and resorts to the use of silly keyboard beats to grab the listener. The Offspring retains its pop punk brand of catchiness, but doesn't elevate it to the same level as its previous work.
The one truly irritating aspect of the album, which may be the result of being signed to a major label, is the fact that the word "fuck" is bleeped out on the entire album and is crossed out of all the lyrics in the CD booklet. Rock music is not about giving in to censorship, and if the Offspring was already starting to lose cred, this cute little editing process certainly suggests that no matter the quality of its music, this band has lost it all when it comes to its image.
