Early Maturity (Ignition - Offspring)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Ignition - Offspring
Date:	18/07/04 (913 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Meaningful and enjoyable, Variations of style, The band at their creative peak

Disadvantages: Some weak links, Takes a while to fully appreciate, Not to everyone's taste

Southern Californian band ‘The Offspring’ are one of the biggest selling punk bands of recent years, popular for their catchy choruses, accessible and cheery guitar riffs and slightly childish sense of humour that appeal to young people across the world. As the band became increasingly popular throughout the nineties, their sound became more commercial and less aggressive punk rock and claims that the band had ‘sold out’ were very quickly voiced: of course they had, that’s what ‘adapting’ means.

I’m not a fan of the band’s recent releases, but it was their 1997 album ‘Ixnay on the Hombre’ that got me into music in general (there you go, that’s where the blame lies). After listening to that album relentlessly I invested in the band’s back catalogue and wasn’t disappointed. Their second album ‘Ignition’ is probably the most overlooked and unappreciated of the Offspring’s albums and, although it took me quite a long while to appreciate, it’s now an album I listen to again and again.


STYLE


There were deliberate changes made to the band’s sound between their self-produced, self-titled album of 1990 and their first release on the competitive Epitaph punk label. The most obvious is the eradication of what were described (very fittingly) as “unnecessary guitar solos”: guitarist Noodles punctuated every other verse on the debut with some string noodling. Secondly, the band also seem to incorporate more elements of rock music in general that makes for a more original sound than the strictly punk style of their first release: this album includes a grunge-style song and a mix between heavy and more traditional punk guitars.

There is little similarity between this album and the band’s excellent successor albums ‘Smash’ and ‘Ixnay on the Hombre’: the humorous undertones are barely visible as this deals with more serious subject matter in a more mature style than the now-aging band have ever reproduced since. Dexter’s voice sounds meaningful, the guitars and bass are concise and the drums are excellent at moving everything along, even if they are largely unoriginal.


The Offspring were:

Bryan “Dexter” Holland – vocals
Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman – guitar
Greg K – bass guitar
Ron Welty - drums


TRACKS


1. SESSION

Beginning with some quiet, angry screaming of “f***,” ‘Session’ is one of the catchiest and most memorable speedy songs of the album, dealing with quite ordinary relationship issues to get the listeners comfortable. There is a brief break in the middle for some minor guitar experimentation, screamed over by Dexter, but this is fairly straightforward and would remain a live favourite for many years.

“Oh here I go, I go again,
Our rendezvous never seem to end,
Know where I’ll be, make this confession,
Back in her bed for another goddamn
Session”

2. WE ARE ONE

A (slightly) slower, bass-led song with a rousing ensemble chorus and some great guitar work in the instrumental section, the slightly longer length of four minutes allows for a more diverse track than most of the others that allows for some progression at the end, before the song fades out.

“We are one and it won’t be news
When we hang ourselves in one collective noose
Well it won’t be wrong, our day in the sun is going to stop…
The walls come tumbling down”

3. KICK HIM WHEN HE’S DOWN

Opinion is divided on this track: personally I think it’s quite fun but not very impressive, based on a more traditional eighties punk rock style. The chorus pales in comparison to the rest of the album and for me the only thing saving this song is some of the guitar work, although there’s still no solo.

“When the rain comes I sit home and pray,
Make it all numb
I wish it all away,
All I really need is just somewhere to hide away”

4. TAKE IT LIKE A MAN

More musically interesting than the previous tracks, this nevertheless sounds like a repeat of track two in some ways. There’s a little over-reliance on the cymbals, but thankfully there’s a melodic ‘woah’ section. That’s always good.

“Now don’t get me wrong,
I’ve seen many a life gone astray,
When someone goes, all you bows
Won’t make it any better so let it go”

5. GET IT RIGHT

One of my favourites here, this is where the album starts getting interesting. Dexter’s voice sounds like the shout he uses on the later albums and the unison choruses are the best yet. A slower middle section also shows the musical creativity of this CD in contrast to more recent works such as ‘Splinter’ and ‘Conspiracy of One.’ Great shouty ending too.

“Look out boy, tomorrow comes
And things will look better by then.
But I look out the window, look in the mirror,
Same old me again”

6. DIRTY MAGIC

Many peoples’ favourite on the album, the opening does sound very reminiscent of Nirvana’s ‘Come as You Are.’ Once the chorus begins it’s clear that this is a punk song, but a deeper and more intricate punk than the norm. I’ve never been that big a fan of grunge but I really enjoy this track, especially as it gives the guitar freedom to be creative. The band ripped off their own chorus here for the later song ‘Have You Ever.’

“Pull the shades, razor blades,
You’re so tragic.
I hate you so, but love you more,
So elastic.”

7. HYPODERMIC

Anything following ‘Dirty Magic’ would need to be excellent to avoid disappointment; unfortunately this is distinctly average and over-repetitive. One of the weak links of the album, but the muted grinding guitars in the verses and the prominent bass sound better than they have previously.

“Once you get a ride,
Doesn’t matter where you lied.
Once you shoot it in,
Doesn’t matter who you’ve been.”

8. BURN IT UP

The closest thing to a title track and a humorous song, although still a song based around pyromania. Catchy, fun and still quite good musically, this mainly acts as light relief between the more serious songs. The style of lyrics is reminiscent of the earlier song ‘Beheaded,’ which applied a comic tone to a mentalist who enjoyed severing heads. Cool.

“Ignition,
They call it an obsession,
I think it’s kinda bitchin’,
I think it’s kinda neat”

9. NO HERO

This song sounds like it’s based on true events and as such is the most meaningful on the album, dealing with failure to help a suicidal friend, ultimately realising you are not to blame. There is a musical break in the middle that helps set this song apart even more and the anger and depression in Dexter’s vocals makes it all the better. One of the most impressive on the album.

“Johnny was a weirdo so
What did you expect?
I ain’t no f****ng hero I’m just
Trying to survive myself”

10. L.A.P.D.

My very favourite track on the album, the bass guitar builds up to the heaviest offering on the album, criticising the LA police and accusing them of discrimination and lack of moral judgement. The lyrics seem a little sarcastic, but this isn’t light-hearted in the way ‘Burn it Up’ was. A great solo too, not to mention excellent work all round – this deserves more appreciation in contrast to the band’s bland popular singles of the present day.

“The city of L.A. feels like a prison,
With helicopters overhead and bullets whizzing by,
Martial law ain’t no solution,
Police brutality’s just social pollution”

11. NOTHING FROM SOMETHING

Another excellent track to follow, this is mid-tempo and again quite meaningful, as well as one of the most optimistic on the album. Plenty of experimentation but all kept in check, Dexter’s vocals sounding similar to ‘Get it Right.’ A great song as the album draws to a close…

“Cut me for the lion’s share,
It’s mindless but I don’t care.
Cause no matter what I say,
I’m in another fight”

12. FOREVER AND A DAY

When I first heard this track I hated it, but now I love it: it’s the perfect ending to the album and even fades out at the end. Everything seems sped up and increased in volume here at no cost to the impact of the song, and there is even a chance for Noodles to practice his soloing towards the end. A classic closer.

“If you’ve got the answer,
Then I don’t want to know.
If you’ve got the answer,
Just keep it your own.”


VERDICT


This album is proof (among other examples) that the Offspring should not be classed merely as ‘skater punk’ for the younger generation: the messages here are clear and intelligent, while the music shares more similarity with underground punk of the eighties to the pop-influenced punk of bands such as Blink 182 and Green Day. ‘Ignition’ is twelve solid tracks of high quality music that isn’t instantly likeable, but which has enough depth and creativity to allow it to grow on the listener. There is also a lot more diversity here than on any other Offspring album, validating the Epitaph producer’s description of this album having “the Epitaph sound.”

If you only like the Offspring for their cheery pop-punk anthems and brightly coloured music videos, this will not be for you. But if you enjoyed later tracks such as the emotional ‘Gone Away’ and the aggressive ‘Nitro,’ you should check this early offering out.


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The Offspring discography:

1990 – The Offspring (re-released 1995) – raw punk rock, unnecessary solos and all
1992 – Ignition – more defined and adult sound for Epitaph
1994 – Smash – fast, loud and big-selling punk rock that still sounds as raw as ever
1997 – Ixnay on the Hombre – a more polished style and catchier, more melodic songs
1999 – Americana – the move to mainstream punk has begun in earnest. Some enjoyable songs.
2001 – Conspiracy of One – very mainstream sound, but less than Americana.
2003 – Splinter – the band’s originality has seriously waned.

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