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The Offspring - Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace Audio CD

A fair review of the The Offspring "Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Offspring reviews here, or go back to the The Offspring tabs.

The Offspring Band: The Offspring
Title: Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace
Rating:
Release Date: 2008-06-17
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Half-Truism 2: Trust in You 3: You're Gonna Go Far, Kid 4: Hammerhead 5: Lot Like Me 6: Takes Me Nowhere 7: Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? 8: Nothingtown 9: Stuff Is Messed Up 10: Fix You 11: Let's Hear It for Rock Bottom 12: Rise and Fall

Glad they're still around
But this is a great CD for a band that's been going for so long. Obviously they aren't in their heyday anymore. I wanted to give it 5 stars but I just couldn't. There are a few throwaway tracks on it but overall I was pleased with it. They still know how to joke around with songs like Stuff is Messed Up (funny title considering the lyrics). If you have been following and enjoying the way The Offspring has been evolving over the years, you'll like this.


Blown away, but not at first
I usually pick and choose only the tracks I like and get them through services like amazon. I've got to say that I am not compelled to buy a lot of CDs. I heard a friend's copy, and I didn't like it at first. However, I wanted to listen to it again, and it grew on me. Now, I love it.

Here's something I can't say about a lot of albums: I listen to ALL of the tracks. It's amazing for me to like half of an album's tracks, but the whole disc is amazing. I have done this probably with more Offspring albums than any other band. .


What do mean no punk?
Look, if a a band worries about how punk their album is, then they are not punk. Look, this is a great album from a great PUNK band. It's the essence of not caring that makes a band punk. And look, if you want protest listen to Stuff is Messed Up. Punk or not this is an amazing album. I love classic Offspring, but this is a nice changeup. .


Old appeal, modern shine
I've heard their stuff. Alright, Offspring's been around for awhile. Do I really want another album? This was my dilemma. For some reason this album seemed more like a must-have. I heard "Kristy. . " and it sounded different, maybe an evolution?

So I bought Rise and Fall and when I started listening to it I would swear some of these songs could come straight off of "Smash". And you know what? I didn't care. My head told me "Trust in you" sounded exactly like "Smash" (the song) but my heart said "I'm not a trendy ***hole!" and I turned it up. The nostalgia factor was huge for me here, suddenly I was back in high school in my basement rocking out to Offspring while playing Road Rash on my Genesis with my buddy. And the album kept on rockin.

That doesn't mean this is all old stuff. Production value is high, and there's about 3 songs that are a different style that throw a little modern variety in there (similar to Green Day's American Idiot). I am definitely not a genre nut ("I only like punk!") so I was happy to have a glimpse of Offspring's "softer" side.

Bottom line: If you like Offspring, you'll like this album.


A better mixed bag than usual
The lyrics are much more pointed than blunt on my favorite 5 tracks and the music is a very clean and cathartic sonic assault. I'm used to having mixed reactions to The Offspring, but this strikes me as a very strong outing for them. I don't recommend the whole album, but. . .

"Rise and Fall" is one of those odd tracks that is so flawless that it's almost not even there because it glosses by with such form and elegance. It's very smooth and I like it a lot.

"Half-Truism" explodes over the top as a joyously spiteful retro power-ballad. Goes well as an absurdist chaser after "Gone Away. "

"Trust in You" is an interesting character study track of the sort of person who has more scorn than common sense. It's surprisingly well crafted and driven.

"Nothingtown" seems to be the teenage gotta-leave-town angst response to The Killers "Read My Mind" with a bucket of ice-cold reality dumped over its head but trying to maintain a bit of hope regardless. The (out-of-place) doo-wop-iness of this track is comparable to, but nowhere as extreme as, TISM's "Greg! The Stop Sign!"

That said, "You're Gonna Go Far Kid" is far and away the best track in the batch. Some people complain that it's ear candy, but it's far too well written to be just that. It's a track about how dangerous competent rabble-rousers are and it's stunningly lucid. It's a fabulous piece of work. But maybe I'm biased in favor of the subject matter -- I judge debate tournaments for fun.


You can see a complete list of all The Offspring discography, or go back to the The Offspring tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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