Maynard’s Shockingly Truthful Review: Offspring “Days Go By”

June 26, 2012 7:44 AM

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daysgoby cover Maynards Shockingly Truthful Review: Offspring Days Go By

The Offspring’s 9th Studio Album “Days Go By”

If you only download one track: “Hurting as One”. It wasn’t until I heard this track that I really believed I was listening to an “Offspring” album. Also the ballad “All I have Left is You” is out of place, but a good song nonetheless.

HOT FIRE OF TRUTH: I’m not even sure where to begin with my review of “Days Go By” …but here goes: Bob Rock should be dragged into the streets and beaten to death.

For those of you who don’t know, Bob Rock is the heavy-handed producer who ruined Metallica and Aerosmith and 311. Think of it this way- if there’s a legendary band who stepped out of form to record some over-produced garbage for the sake of selling records, it was Bob Rock who produced it.

And now he’s gotten his hands on the Offspring. (Dexter…..WHY?)

Honestly it’s not that any of the music is actually bad. In fact some of it is pretty catchy and Dex’s lyrics still evoke a smile. The bizzarro hooks that we’ve all come to love from the Offspring are still there. But the whole thing is just too pretty.

The Offspring are a Punk Band. It should be a little rough around the edges. That’s part of the attraction- a little bit of grit. This record has been Bob-Rock-polished to a glossy shine, and that is a bit of a negative in my book.

I think the title track “Days Go By” is a solid song and is one of the least offensive of the bunch. The follow up single “Cruisin’ California (Bumpin’ in my Trunk) is a blatant attempt to get radio play on the soccer mom stations and in the clubs and again, not that it’s such a bad song. But coming from the Offspring it’s just not cool.

I know, I know….I’m being a bit of a music snob here. I don’t really want to be that guy. But the reality is that the Offspring seem to have sold out for reals. And that’s disappointing.

Even the album cover is disappointing. Evidently Dex & Noodles think we’ve all become idiots in the last 4 years so they need to over sell the concept to us of Days Going By. A little more imagination could have been put into that one fellas.

If you’re an uber-Offspring fan and need to keep the collection going, or you’ve got money to burn go ahead and buy this. Otherwise, take a pass.

Maynards Shockingly Truthful Review: Offspring Days Go By

http://www.facebook.com/vickithecute Vicki Steckler Crosby

I’ve hated Days Go By from the first moment I heard it for that very reason….it didn’t sound like the Offsping. (to me, it sounds VERY similar to Times Like These…but that might just be me). I’m sad to hear the entire album is the same.
http://gravatar.com/crazynomadguy crazynomadguy

@Vicki, the entire album isn’t the same. Compositionally, the rest are mostly punk songs, but the production is where it falters. Sure, there are a few weird departures thrown in. The title track is the only mid-tempo rock song, and “Cruising California” is the only ridiculous pop song. And then there’s OC Guns which is just weird. I thought this was a good review and yes, Bob Rock should be shot. The production is way too big for an Offspring album (same as on the last one). That all being said, the final 2 tracks- “Dividing By Zero” and “Slim Pickens”- are probably the 2 best songs they’ve done since Ixnay and are basically the album’s saving grace. Definitely check out those two at least.