In November 1998 -on the 17th to be exact, The Offspring released their fifth studio album, Americana. It did absolutely incredible on the charts. It hit number one in Sweden, Poland, New Zealand, Brazil, Austria, and Australia. It also hit number 2 in the US, France, Finland, and did very well on other charts as well, all over the world. It also has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and has been certified platinum almost world wide. It's even 5 times platinum here in the US! You cannot question the success of this album -you simply cannot do it. I do believe this is the album most people think of when they think of The Offspring, partly because of the first two singles. "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" and "Why Don't You Get a Job?" Now, I was only five when this album was released, so it's really no wonder it feels like those two songs have always existed. They basically have always existed in my life, but we all also know they're among the most popular songs The Offspring has ever made. Quite possibly the most popular. Because of that, I'm not going to talk about those songs, because we all know them, and their awesome qualities goes completely without saying. A couple tracks really stood out to me, both for vastly different reasons. Those tracks are "Feelings" and "The End Of The Line." Its a bit ironic that I chose those two songs as the stand out tracks, because "The End Of The Line", definitely gives you some "feelings." Okay, I get it, that was a lame joke, but I couldn't resist. Anywho, the reason I picked, "Feelings" was while it felt a little cliche' it also was fun, fast paced, and easy to relate to. Its actually about trying to forget feelings of hatred you have toward someone, assumably an ex, but I think we've all been there before. Emotions are highly important to human existence, but also tend to get in the way as well. They're a necessary evil, sadly. As for "The End Of The Line", I had to choose it because it was so touching. It very clearly was written after someone had passed away, leaving you lost. It sort of seems like it was written after a loved one's suicide, but I am not sure if that's the case, just based off the lyrics. Its clearly a very personal track, and was probably written as a mental release. It's quite beautiful, and definitely tears at the heart strings. I'm going to put this out there -this album is not my usual taste. I'm not exactly a punk fan, but at the same time, I definitely see why this album is so popular. Its got a little bit of everything, and I feel like punk fans will be all over the style of the album. So, because of that, I do recommend you check this album out. While you're at it, keep in mind that The Offspring is still very active today. Since the release of this album, they've released four more albums, played countless festivals and tours, and they are not stopping there. Coming up this March, they will be flying over to Japan to perform at Punkspring 2017, which happens in Osaka, and Tokyo. Then they fly all the way back over to Mexico to perform at the Parque Fundidora 2017, and then start playing festivals around the US. Those festivals begin on April 1 with Edgefest 2017, then goes to Welcome To Rockville, Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, Rocklahoma, and Rivercity Rockfest. They then get a bit of a break before going over to Europe to perform at a good handful of festivals there as well. Those festivals include Amnesia Rockfest, Fezen Festival, Festival Fête du Bruit, and the Highfield Festival. For further information, please check out the respective festival websites, and of course The Offspring's website!
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InformationAll reviews have the date they were written, the album title, and the band's name, with the exception of Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace and Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin. Those dates were guessed at, as they were written well before the website began. Archives
February 2022
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