Customer Reviews

Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been purchasing items from Amazon for the past 8 or so years and have never written a review for anything I have bought. The fact that I felt compelled to write about this album is a testament to how amazing it is. I admit I wasn't blown away by the first listen. It's one of those albums that just get better and better the more you hear it. Without a doubt it has easily more musical depth and emotion than anything the band has ever done. This is The Offspring's best work ever, hands down.

For those of you who complain about the lack of "punk", get real, punk has been dead for a long time. This is just an amazing american rock band making great music. Best album I've heard in years and it definitely wasn't from a band I expected.

Nice work guys.

Telling people I really like the Offspring isn't something that's easy to do. They have a very solid discography but starting with 1998's Americana it became peppered and eventually nearly saturated with guilty pleasures. There's not really song on 2003's Splinter that you can admit to loving without getting stripped of all "punk credentials". It was something I didn't mind, since I'm the kind of guy who's used to defending his musical taste. But when Hammerhead was released as the first single from the first proper studio effort from the Offspring in five years, something was magical about it. It was lengthy, yes, and a little pretentious in how it was drawn out, but it was a positively rockin' song. It had the adrenaline-pumping riffs, the smart lyrics and the trademark Offspring hook to give me the satisfaction of listening to any of their finest songs without having to worry about how I'm going to defend the record when talking with my music snob compatriots. For once, I was going to buy an Offspring album, crank it up, sing along with the irresistable choruses while the critics and fans backed me up on my emotions 100%, right? Right?

I would be right, if the critics weren't heartless bastards. I won't pretend there's nothing to critique here, but the resounding critical consensus is that the Offspring are "punk veterans" who should "know better" than to have a simple thesis for their album such as "[stuff] is [messed] up", before going on about what a splendid record Smash was. And I'm not denying Smash was indeed a fantastic album, but they're clearly tinting their shades a bit rose. Dexter Holland's lyrics were never anything like Bad Religion's polysyllabic political musings or NOFX's aggressive blasts against anything establishment. Dexter's lyrics are, and always have been, social in their context. "I'm not the one who made the world what it is today / I'm not the one who caused the problems started long ago" is not far removed at all from "I don't know too much / but I know this: [stuff] is [messed] up!" It's always been the same in that the songs are less about the government's specific wrongdoings and more so about ubiquitous attitudes and vices that, since they run rampant through our government, work as political songs, but apply to your boss, your friend, your significant other, your parents, etc. as well as they do the president. There's nothing condescending, preachy or all-knowing about it. More than can be said about tracks like Holiday, which I suppose these critics are using as their golden example to judge all punk albums hereafter to, but it simply boils down to "War sucks, screw Bush" with little more than artistic inflection elevating it to three minutes in length. Punk started out of aggression towards politicians, and now the credentials required to make a punk album is to practically be one? If Dexter Holland was valedictorian in high school and claims to not know too much, and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong was a stoner high school dropout who is now claiming to be qualified to know how to fix our country's problems, someone is clearly padding their résumé.

That's not to say that Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace is the album I hoped for. The guilt abounds whether it's the kind of guilt one gets from listening to My Chemical Romance on the album's bleeding-heart opening anthem Half-Truism, ("If we don't make it alive / It's a hell of a good day to die"? Really?) the guilt one gets from any of their genre-niche novelty songs in the dance-rock "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" (which nails the pleasure center of your brain in ways Fall Out Boy's Dance, Dance only claimed to do), and the ballads. OK, chill out, there's only two of them. There's Kristy, Are You Doing OK, which despite the noble subject matter (Dex tries to make peace with letting his childhood friend's domestic abuse go unreported) chokes when Bob Rock assembles the song by the All-American Rejects playbook, except he skipped the page that says "have a breakdown or key change to keep the song from being skip-button-abusively monotonous by the last chorus". Fix You, however, has nothing to do with its Coldplay-borne namesake and resembles more a less-mechanical Chasing Cars. There's no abundance of major-key radio-ready monsters here, unlike the four albums that came before it here, though. In their place, though, are three very good up-tempo songs that sound bright and jovial without ceasing to sound like the punky Offspring that filled out the rest of the album.

I give the Offspring a hard time. And maybe I'm not so different from the critics I spent half this review blasting in that I feel the boys are capable of more than they've put forth on this album. But truthfully, there's been something missing in the five years they took off, and a summer drive with a new bangin' Offspring song on my car stereo is a pleasure I haven't indulged in for a good long while. Even if I don't have the balls to listen with the windows down. Bottom line, if you like classic rough punk Offspring but also have a soft spot in your heart for slick, hooky poppy Offspring, this record doesn't just mash the two concepts together, but satisfies both concepts in one of the most well-rounded, coherent albums the O.C. band has put together in a long time. It's a shame the critics don't share my enthusiasm. [Stuff] is [messed] up indeed.

I'd rather not condemn Offspring for changing up their musical style. Ever since Ixnay On The Hombre, Offspring have been incorporating non-punk elements into thier music throughout the years and I always thought that it set them apart from other punk bands. I think this is a fine album from the band and better than Splinter. I mean, how can you expect this band to continue to play the same ol' style after 20+ years? I'm glad to hear something different from them. Nothingtown, You're Gonna Go Far Kid, The O.C. Life cover. Great stuff. Am I the only one who thinks that A Lot Like Me sounds like a Linkin Park song? I dont like Linkin Park, so I have to say that Offspring does LP better than they do. The only song I dont care for is Kristi Are You Doing Ok because it sounds too Emo. Bottom Line, if you have stuck with Offspring through the years, then give this album a chance because it is the best one since Americana in my opinion...minus the EMo song that is! Heh.

I have listened to this album probably a couple dozen times in the last few weeks. On day 1, I would have rated it 3, maybe 4 stars, but most songs that I didn't like immediately have grown on me (with some exceptions). Particularly, the first 5 songs are some of the best work The Offspring has ever done, ever. After that it's slightly spottier, but overall I still find the album worthy of a 5 star rating, barely (maybe a 4.5 rounded up to 5 since Amazon doesn't do half stars).

1. Half-Truism (9.5) Very good album opener. Nice contrast between the fast verses and slower chorus. Bring the album in with a bang.
2. Trust In You (9) Another very solid song VERY old school Offspring. Gotta love that fast palm muting (not enough of that on this album).
3. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (10) This one didn't win me over on first listen, but after a few more listens I can't get this out of my head. Very catchy, sort of mainstream sounding, but still very Offspring. If this does in fact end up being the second single, it's an EXCELLENT choice, as I think this song will satisfy the mainstream and the hardcore fans like nothing has since The Kids Aren't Alright.
4. Hammerhead (8.5) Solid song. I like the strength of the riffs; heavier than a lot of their stuff. Not a bad choice for the first single.
5. A Lot Like Me (10) This doesn't sound like most of their other stuff. Maybe reminds me of Gone Away in some respects. The intro with the piano, meh, sounds a little like it's gonna be a Coldplay song (Coldplay is whorendous). But I can overlook that small complaint which only applies to the first 5 seconds of the song because this song is unbelievable. Dexter's vocals are outstanding, and the song just seems to have a huge amount of power (even with the piano). Another one that didn't win me over on first listen, but now it's my favorite of the album.
6. Takes Me Nowhere (8) Essentially classic Offspring. Catchy song, keeps the album going strong; picks up the pace from the slower A Lot Like Me.
7. Kristy Are You Doing Okay? (6) The pace that we just picked up has now gone in the tank. Don't get me wrong, this isn't necessarily a bad song. For what it is, it's fine. I just don't know how I feel about it on an Offspring album. It gets a 6 because I still like the song, but it's nothing compared to tracks 1-6.
8. Nothingtown (7) This one's alright. A little too generic sounding maybe. Picks the pace back up again at least.
9. Stuff Is Messed Up (8) This song comes the closest to being the "joke" song of the album, but it's more serious than any of the other "joke" songs. Catchy chorus. I think if anyone else did a "la la la la la" chorus like this it would sound lame. Only The Offspring can pull it off.
10. Fix You (6.5) Screeeech. The momentum we've build back up over the past two songs comes to a halt. Again, not a BAD song, and I still like it. Similar thoughts on this one as with Kristy. Okay song, but meh.
11. Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom (8) I like the guitar work on this one. The chorus is sort of generic, but a good song overall.
12. Rise and Fall (7.5) First off, Green Day comparisons here are preposterous. The chord progression is not even close and neither is the subject matter. I just don't get it. This is a decent song, but would have been nice to have a stronger album closer. Something epic like Pay The Man (my favorite Offspring album closer) would have been cool.


As you can see, my ratings are very strong, then sort of drop off. Still, when I listen through the album, I don't reach for the skip button at all (even for Kristy and Fix You). I have been a fan since 1994 and this album does not disappoint. Not sure how much there is here that will bring in new fans (though I do see potential with songs like You're Gonna Go Far, Kid and A Lot Like Me), but I don't see how any true Offspring fan will anything but love this.

I hope the second single is not Kristy Are You Doing Okay (as has been rumored; this may be the second single in Europe, but it's looking like You're Gonna Go Far, Kid for the U.S.). This one will not be removed from my car stereo for months. Buy it. Buy it now.

I've been a fan of Offspring since "Ignition", and even though my musical tastes have changed alot since I was in high school, nothing gives me that happy nostalgic feeling like The Offspring does.

This album, if you're a fan of their last three, is more of the same, but with a cleaner and darker feel to it. The sound has changed a little, but Dexter's voice never makes you feel like you're far from home.

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

I have been a fan of the band since the beginning. From the rough edges, to the more polished sounds of this current album. I'm not sure if this album is full of #1 hits, but it is solid from start to finish. There is usually a song or two on other Offspring albums I just don't like. With this however, I can't find a sound I don't like. It is very rare for me to find an album that I don't skip over songs. Yes, this is a little less hardcore and a little more produced sound, but it is great original material, and a really good Offspring album. I recommend this highly.

Unlike past albums there are no extra features on this CD, no music videos, no wallpaper, no karaoke, and no hidden track. Unfortunately there's no jewel case either. The Offspring are following the recent trend in music releases by having the CD packaged in a gatefold cardboard CD sleeve. The gatefold cardboard CD sleeve is inferior to a jewel case in that the CD is in contact with the cardboard sleeve which easily scratches it. A couple of days after buying this CD my CD was scratched up so I had to put the CD in a protective CD sleeve. This album is not as hard as Splinter, it has more slow songs. It still has some catchy ones, their current single "You're Gonna Go Far Kid", "Hammerhead", "Rise & Fall", and the humorous "Stuff Is Messed Up". If you are a fan of melodic Hard Rock, Pop Punk, you'll like this. I just wish the music industry would bring back the jewel cases!

I've been a fan of The Offspring since their first album and have watched their music change direction slightly which isn't uncommon for a band who's been around for over 20 years. After Conspiracy Of One and Splinter which were good albums but not as good as previous ones, I was pleasantly surprised that Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace is The Offspring back to their best. In my opinion this is the best album since Americana and possible the best yet.

There isn't a single song that I don't like and not a single song that I feel the need to skip (which is quite unusual for me). The Offspring are back on top and look like they'll be there for many years to come.

Amazing album and it gets better the more you listen to it.

When you look at the most successful albums of The Offspring's career to this point, Smash, and Americana stand head and shoulders above the rest. When you look at the enduring quality of their songs, Ignition and Smash have among the best. Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, may not be the juggernaut that was Smash, I'm sure The Offspring's decline in popularity over the years will see to that.

But their newest album is definitely among their very best.

The Offspring have shown a return to their roots in violent lyrics and outrage, but they've also shown a maturity that's never been seen before either, at least not to this extent.

Hammerhead may be their first single, but already I can tell you it's their worst by far, and that's not a slight against Hammerhead, rather a compliment to the rest of the album. Half-Truism, You're Gonna Go Far Kid, and Kristy Are You Doing Okay?, are three standout songs on this album that will sit along side songs like Genocide, Smash, Kick Him When He's Down, and Gone Away as some of the very best the band has ever written.

Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? in particular shows a maturity and retrospective that's really touching. Very different in feel and sound than anything The Offspring has done. After having just listened to Jennifer Lost The War, it really brings out the sadness of this song. The concern and sorrow expressed by Dexter is truly moving. I hope they make this song a single, because it's probably the best song they've ever written.

This will be a defining album in The Offspring's career.

After having read some of the other reviews I'm wondering if they've ever listening to The Offspring's first album, and heard songs like Jennifer Lost The War, and Beheaded. This is was the first band I ever listened to (them and Green Day, back when there was a battle of the punk bands headlined by these two) and for years they were my favorite band ever. The Offspring after having been releasing albums for 20 years are growing up, they're not just the same band the wrote songs like Bad Habit and Beheaded. These "emo" songs people are whining about are a show that they don't understand the story of what is really going on in the lives of The Offspring's lives. I applaud the bands maturity, they're not feeling sorry for themselves and whining about how their girlfriend dumped them, they're trying to help those closest to them, that's not "emo" that's called caring.

After almost five long years, The Offspring finally released a new CD. I bought it right away, and I've given it three or four listens through, and now I've got a review ready. On the whole, it's a good CD, but it's not nearly as solid as five years worth of preparation should merit, especially for a band that has released some of the most impressive CD's of the past fifteen years.

1. Half-Truism 10/10: Finally, for the first time since "Ignition," an actual song to start the album... and what a song! I didn't really appreciate it until after a few listens, but it is The Offspring doing what they do better than any other band: the power punk ballad. They try it a few more times on this album, but this is the only song where it really works. My only complaint would be that it's a much better closer than an opener. In fact, the album would be better off called "Half-Truism" with this as the last track.

2. Trust in You 8/10: They borrow a bit from "Smash" (the song) on this one, but that's welcome considering how much the other songs really experiment. This is a good one, but I don't really hear a single.

3. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid 10+/10: This is the catchiest song on the album. I actually found myself dancing to it the second time through. It's sure to be a radio single diminished slightly by some bleeping. It just flows so perfectly, and there's a subtle soldier mentality to the lyrics, but not nearly as much as...

4. Hammerhead 9/10: The first single, and the heaviest song on the album. By all rights, this really shouldn't be a single. It's a great song, but the insanely catchy first half and the WTF? second half don't really make for a good radio single. The first half, by itself, might be the best song on the album, but then Dexter starts quoting Bible verses and, I'm assuming, comparing being a soldier to being a school shooter, which is good for creating controversy, but has absolutely no basis. Very few school shooters think of themselves as soldiers.

5. A Lot Like Me 8/10: I really like music for this song, very original, but the lyrics are kind of dumb. They've grown on me a bit since the first listen. I'd call this an almost there attempt at another "Amazed."

6. Takes Me Nowhere 6/10: This is really just a punked-up Linkin Park song. The lyrics have the same vague self-deprecation.

7. Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? 7/10: A lot of reviewers have bashed this song. No, it doesn't rock, but the lyrics are pretty good. It's about a boy who knows a female friend of his has been raped, in case you couldn't figure it out. Specifically, it might just be about Kristine Luna, but maybe that's just a coincidence.

8. Nothingtown 7/10: This one gets better each time I hear it, but it's still nothing spectacular. It kind of reminds me of "One Fine Day."

9. Stuff Is Messed Up 9/10: This is definitely the most provocative song on the album, probably the best lyrics. It also helps to support my theory that Dexter Holland is really "Weird Al" Yankovic in an elaborate disguise.

10. Fix You 2/10: What the hell is this? The short answer is: the worst song by The Offspring ever, worse than "When You're in Prison." Yeah, it's that bad. They're also blatantly ripping off Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends," which wasn't even that good of a song to begin with.

11. Let's Hear It for Rock Bottom 6/10: Let's not and say we did. It's not a bad song, but it's rather forgettable. Like "Takes Me Nowhere," it's more vague self-deprecation.

12. Rise and Fall 9/10: It's not spectacular, but it's catchy and solid. This would've been a good opener for the album. One point was deducted for ripping off the riff to "American Idiot." Despite being a band for longer, despite being an all-around better band, The Offspring seem to be determined to stay in Green Day's shadow.

Overall, this could end up being the best rock album of the year, but there was lots of room for improvement. Yes, Bob Rock was a poor choice of producers. He ruined "St. Anger," and he overproduced this one. The guitar was not mixed loud enough, but that's still better than the production on Bad Religion's last album where the vocals were absolutely drowned out. Anyway, it's a good album, and you might as well buy it since you probably won't get another one until 2013.