Ixnay On The Hombre
The Offspring - Columbia

The Offspring -- spawned in the teen-age wastelands of suburban California, where being a rebel with or without a cause is a rite of passage -- have managed to create a good new disc that is a solid continuation of the band's '94 smash, titled "Smash." Since that earlier record sold a mighty 9 million copies, it is no wonder that the boys in the quartet didn't want to mess with success.

The 12 songs of "Ixnay on the Hombre" are tied together with the great American tradition of freedom through rebellion. On this disc, the Offspring are like hip guidance counselors, offering to mall rats (who are 15 to 20 years their junior) life lessons through personal experiences in fighting authority. The songs are mostly themed with common-sense stuff that any numskull would know, but that's part of the band's approach. They talk about the regular dumb and smart things that kids talk about in a way that isn't patronizing.

The album opens with a guest shot by Jello Biafra shouting the parental advisory warning in "The Disclaimer." There, he barks like a demented ringmaster, "If you hear something sarcastic, don't take it seriously; if it sounds dangerous, don't try it at home; and if it offends you, just don't listen."

Musically, the band doesn't know any slow songs. The tunes are all powered with a fast drumbeat that is slightly repetitious, fat bar-chord guitar work, and a bass line that often has to fill in as both the bottom and the lead guitar. With so much of the music aimed at delivering rhythm, Bryan "Dexter" Holland's vocals focus the melodies.

Not only does the music have a feeling of power, with so much of its energy released in musical rhythm, but there's also an unusual sense of humbleness inspired by self-deprecatory and sarcastic lyrics that pepper the disc and poke some fun at Generation Angst, as in "Cool to Hate." After a half-dozen listens, the songs "Me and My Old Lady," "Amazed" and "Mota" come across clearly as the strongest material on "Ixnay," even though those numbers are just a notch below tunes such as the pair of hits on "Smash": "Self Esteem" and "Come Out and Play."

From New York Post