February 4, 1997 - Ixnay On The Hombre

Twelve days after my last release and almost three years since the massively successful "Smash", The Offspring released their fourth album "Ixnay On The Hombre" on February 4, 1997. This was actually their first album on a major label, but they still play the same style of punk/rock as their "Smash" hit of a last album. Let's see how The Offspring follow up such a success!

The album begins with a short "Disclaimer" and it's a pretty funny opening that tears into the "parental discretion: explicit lyrics" sticker that is on many albums. The last line is my favourite: "and if it offends you, just don't listen to it". Up next is one of the four singles off the album "The Meaning Of Life" and it sounds like a pretty typical Offspring song, and that's not a bad thing! It's got a pretty fast-paced punk-y beat and Dexter Holland leads a pretty catchy verse and chorus. Noodles plays some cool headbanging guitar and while this is definitely not rewriting the playbook, it's a solid way to kick things off. Track 3 is "Mota" and after a nice building opening it's got another fast and catchy main riff. The way Dexter says "mota!" before things take off is great and this song just has great energy to it that's hard not to bounce along to. I'm surprised this one wasn't a single, because it's got a great hook and is a pretty cool song! The next song is "Me & My Old Lady" and it's a slower pace but Greg K. plays a catchy bass riff to drive things and the guitar follows along. The verses are funny and solid, but the chorus is a lot of Dexter yelling way louder than the music and it's not my favourite. This is the weakest song so far easily, but it's still solid. Track 5 is "Cool To Hate" and Dexter sings about hating a bunch of different things throughout the song overtop a catchy punk-rock riff. The end of the chorus sounds cool as Holland sings "I even hate you too so fuck you" and this is a teenager's anthem basically. It's another typical Offspring song, and another good one for sure. Up next is "Leave It Behind" and it's got a decent but pretty repetitive main riff and since the song is only two minutes long this sums up the song well. Guitars sound solid but it's a lesser track. Track 7 is not tour typical Offspring song, but it was a huge single and it's called "Gone Away". It's easily the pop-iest and most made-for-radio song the Offsrping could write. The riff is so simple, yet so undeniably catchy and this was always gonna be a big single. It's actually not very good compared to most of their stuff, but I still sing along to it. The next song was also a succesful single and it's called "I Choose". It's led by a pretty damn catchy guitar riff and Ron Welty plays some cool and catchy drums in the verse. This is a no-brainer single as it's a really fun beat to jam along to. It's not very punk-y compared to some of their other stuff, but for a song that's clearly made-for-radio, it's a pretty solid one. Track 9 is a short "Intermission" and it's got a slow, Latin-sounding riff with horns that is pretty chill and we hear a low voice just say the name of the song overtop in this less than a minute song. I like it and think it's a pretty funny intermission. Up next is the album's lead single "All I Want" and it's under two minutes long for a pretty short single. They fire right into a pretty cool main riff with everyone playing pretty fast and Dexter sings nicely overtop in this typical punk song. It's short and sweet, but it'll still get your blood pumpin'! Track 11 is "Way Down The Line" and Dexter sings about so many people make the same poor decisions and become their parents. Noodles plays some cool guitar in the verses but the chorus is a shout-along and it's decent but nothing special. The next track is "Don't Pick It Up" and it's got an upbeat, almost ska-like main riff that is actually pretty catchy! Dexter sings along to the catchy riff and since this song is under two minutes long, it doesn't get old. Another cool short song. Track 13 is "Amazed" and it's got a pretty slow and unexciting main riff honestly. Greg K. plays some decent bass, but everything else is pretty mild and typical rock stuff. Very bland for these guys. The final song on the album is "Change The World" and they build up nicely to a pretty cool main riff. It's a slower but pretty cool riff and things sound good when they speed up as well. They alternate between slow and fast and both riffs sound solid making for a pretty good song. There's over a minute of silence at the end before we hear someone say "you guys should try heavy metal. Kiss my ass, haha" and that's how they end things.

That is the end of "Ixnay On The Hombre" and I thought it was a pretty good album for the most part. The Offspring continue to play cool punk-rock songs with their joking and funny attitude and most of them are solid. There were times when they really reached for the made-for-radio stuff, and those weren't my favourite, but overall it was a solid album. I think it's better than their first two albums for sure, but it's definitely not as good as their last album "Smash". 2nd place is alright though! I look forward to seeing where they go from here!