If you're looking for an indication that the Offspring wants to rattle your cage, you needn't look further than the "Disclaimer" track that kicks off the band's latest long-player and major-label debut. "This American apple pie institution known as parental discretion will cleanse any sense of innuendo or sarcasm from the lyrics which might actually make you think and will also insult your intelligence at the same time," warns the announcer, Jello Biafra. The Offspring loves sarcasm: You may remember that the band's last record, Smash, had a sarcastic hit song about low self-esteem and, besides "Disclaimer," Ixnay On The Hombre also has a tune called "Cool To Hate" (we'll give you three guesses as to what it's about). Although the Offspring's sense of verbal irony is occasionally a bit off, the songs themselves - especially the straightforward punk rock numbers - rarely miss their mark. The speedy guitar buzz of "The Meaning Of Life," "Mota" and "All I Want" is invigorating and their snarling vocals are just melodic enough to make the songs singable. Stretching itself a bit, the band works in a variety of tempos elsewhere on Ixnay: "Amazed," "Gone Away" and "I Choose" sound almost like hard rock ballads, "Me & My Old Lady" sounds like Jane's Addiction, and "Don't Pick It Up" is a bouncy ska tune. Yeah, like these songs aren't gonna be hits.

By Jenny Eliscu, from CMJ New Music Report