Conspiracy of One

The Offspring

Fellow Californian Mike Love of the Beach Boys is sampled to introduce this latest Offspring release and immediately it's down to business as usual. Which for the Offspring means the best-produced punk rock money can buy. Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam) turns the knobs in the producer's chair and he works pure sonic architecture. The guitars crunch with perfectly defined distortion, the drums come down the middle, and--most importantly--singer Dexter Holland is juiced to the max. Though his voice sits in the "whine" range, double tracking and other studio enhancements give the vocals an incredible presence beyond standard range, and Holland works them to convincing effect. "Come Out Swinging" does exactly that. "Want You Bad" recalls the southern California punk pop of the Descendents. "One Fine Day" double-times into both hardcore and a galloping country terrain. Essentially, it's full speed ahead with the pedal to the metal and no airbags in sight. --Rob O'Connor

Conspiracy of One Album: