The Offspring
Americana
»
The Offspring
Americana
Columbia, 1998
RiYL: Green Day, Pennywise, NOFX |
There's no denying that Offspring singer Dexter Holland (who also has a degree in microbiology) is smart, but perhaps he's too smart for his own good. The Offspring's Americana was meant to be a parody/criticism of the cheesiness of American culture, all put into terms that teenagers would understand. The problem, however, is that the band did such a good job being cheesy that the album is nothing but fluff.
The MTV favorite "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" may have some amusingly ironic lyrics ("The world loves wannabes / So let's get some more wannabes"), but its chorus is a little too close to that of 1994's "Come Out And Play" for comfort.
Not content to stick with recycling their own material, the boys also venture into Morris Albert's territory with a less-than-lovey interpretation of "Feelings" ("Feelings like I never liked you / Feelings like I want to kill you"). While Albert gets credit for writing the original "Feelings," however, the band blatantly rips-off the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" on the throw-away "Why Don't You Get A Job" with no mention whatsoever.
In all 13 of Americana's tracks, the fun speed-rock that the Offspring is known for is scarce. The bouncy "Walla Walla" (a song about going to prison) is, in fact, the only track on this album that I've wanted to listen to from start to finish. Making statements about the shallow mediocrity of American culture is fine, but rather than affecting any change in such a society, the Offspring seems to be adding to the problem.
KATHARINE KELLY |