Pranks R Us

It is ironic that musicians so firmly rooted in the past seem to be at the center of today's digital downloading controversies. (As one of the most-downloaded bands, the Offspring support fans' right to share files, and the group planned to offer all of Conspiracy of One's tracks as free MP3s on their website before their record company balked.) But as musicians, these men don't really represent music's future (you'd have to strain hard to hear a drum machine or synth here) as much as they epitomize the past.

Despite their retro stylings, this Orange County, California band has served up a sixth album that is better (by leaps and bounds) than the punk-by-numbers that dominated their first two albums, 1989's Offspring and '93's Ignition. Further, Conspiracy has more well-written, hook-laden songs than anything found on their fluke indie hit, '94's fittingly titled Smash, or their too-boring-to-be-a-sell-out 1997 major label debut, Ixnay on the Hombre.

On the lead track, "Come Out Swinging," Greg Kriesel's blast furnace bass line and Dexter Holland's and Kevin Wasserman's ragin' full-on guitars congeal to create a song unmistakably theirs. The group takes the song's title quite literally, as they burst out of the sonic gates at top speed, careening through two minutes and 47 seconds of speedy, angst-in-your-pants energy. "Don't turn away/ Don't turn away/ Come out swinging/ Out on your own," howls Holland over double-time drums and a catchy cacophony of noise. The song's music is reminiscent of 7 Seconds and other SoCal punks who influenced the Offspring, and as a whole their new album doesn't stray much from what we've come to expect from these corporate punk rockers.

It seems as though we're hearing variations of the same two tracks: the goofy radio song and the earnest but generic rawk song.

The sense of playfulness found on recent hits such "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" permeates the proceedings. A good example is Conspiracy's first single, "Original Prankster," which features Latin-influenced percussion and horns buried beneath a simple garage-punk riff that push Holland's rap-sung nonsense a little bit further down the musical road. His caffeine-dada lyrics sound like they were written by Allen Ginsberg after a steady diet of Jolt Cola and junk TV: "Tag team the double header/ Son of Sam/ fire always makes it better/ Navigate/ With style and aplomb."

"Want You Bad" is power-pop is at its best, rocking the Casbah, shakin' it up and beating on the hi-hat with Ramones-worshipping glee. Other highlights include the powered-by-sugar-rocket-fuel "Million Miles Away" and "Special Delivery," he latter of which samples the "ooga chacka ooga chacka" chant from Blue Swede's 1974 hit, "Hooked on a Feeling."

Still, despite their improved songwriting and minor experiments in sound, by the end of this album it seems as though we're hearing variations of the same two tracks: the goofy radio song and the earnest but generic rawk song. Many bands have forged a successful career by repeating themselves, but it seems that, while the Offspring have much to offer, they are squandering it on the safeness and sameness of formula.

SonicNet's rating on this album: 3 (out of 5)

By Kembrew McLeod, from SonicNet - November 16th, 2000