With its sixth album, "Conspiracy of One," The Offspring's members prove they are more than just old men with guitars. Led by 34-year-old Bryan Holland, better known as Dexter, the band continues to offer energy in its original punk-rock style.
The band's latest single "Original Prankster" sounds promising with a catchy beat and interesting lyrics such as "Prozac Can Make It Better" and "Rockin' Like Janet Reno." The "Original Prankster" track also gets the privilege of being depicted on the back of the CD sleeve.
The track "One Fine Day" also has a strong, fun beat and vocals from more of the band members. The song is about a day of drinking and going out to a game, a scenario strangely familiar to many Wahoos.
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Paralleling The Offspring's last album, "Americana," the CD's first track starts with a spoken introduction. In "Americana," a monotone message says, "Welcome to Americana, please make your selection followed by the pound sign now" before continuing into the second track. In "Conspiracy of One" the first track ends with Dexter saying, "When we're ready to sing, we step up to the microphone, and it sounds something like this," segging into track two, "Come Out Swinging."
"Conspiracy" demonstrates a significant departure from "Americana" in terms of content, despite other similarities between the two albums. The Offspring seems to have gone back to its punk days of "Smash" and its older material. "Americana" featured more pop-sounding rock with songs including "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" and "Why Don't You Get a Job." This CD should make the band's punk fans very excited, while it may, on the other hand, shock "Americana" fans.
"Conspiracy of One" puts the listener in the midst of a quasi-concert with its surprisingly real sound. When listened to at the right decibel level, the album gives off the ambience of a real Offspring punk show. The majority of the CD's tracks will please moshers and crowd surfers alike with its great concert potential.
Most of the tracks are pretty powerful, but the album loses its intensity when songs start to sound the same. For example, tracks three and 13, "Original Prankster" and "Conspiracy of One," sound amazingly similar.
One can also hear influences of other bands. An early 90s Metallica sound is apparent in "All Along."
Overall, the album is very upbeat and entertaining. The Offspring has not digressed, but the album is not flooring.
The Offspring originally wanted to release its album for free on its Web site last month, but Sony, their label, threatened to sue. Instead, the band encouraged fans to look on Napster for their songs before the CD release date.
The Offspring's fans have posted 11 of their 12 tracks of "Conspiracy" on Napster, but the band was upset that its songs reached Napster before it reached the Web site.
Further evidence of the band's interest in keeping up with the times can be found in the album's CD-ROM extra. It includes videos from "Americana," a home video called "Huck it," karaoke, and the band's Web site link. Videos include, "Pretty Fly for a White Guy," "Why Don't You Get a Job," "The Kids Aren't Right" and "She's Got Issues." The "Huck It" video is from a live show and contains footage of extreme sports. The karaoke features both "Original Prankster" and "One Fine Day."
If you prefer pop to punk, "Conspiracy of One," could come as a disappointment. But if you feel like being experimental, then this just might be your chance to let your hair down.
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