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 3.5 stars, actually- solid but somewhat disappointing album November 12, 2004
24 out of 28 found this review helpful
One of the things that's disappointed me the most about Offspring lately is their lack of output. In the last six years, they've only made two albums, both of which could have been combined into a single one because they were so short. My biggest beef with "Splinter" is that I don't like waiting three years and then spending $16 on an album (and that was on sale) to get just 32 minutes of material. "Splinter" is a good album, but there's just not nearly enough of it.
There are several standouts on "Splinter" and no real bad songs. One thing I like about Offspring is that they realize (unlike Blink 182) that they're not supposed to be making serious music. Sure, they've had depressing songs before, but they also never let the fun leave their albums. The only real angry song on here is the opener "Neocon", which I loved because I feel that same anger towards George Bush. The single best song is "The Worst Hangover Ever", which is so catchy that I find myself singing it constantly. Other good ones include "The Noose", "Race Against Myself", "Spare Me the Details", and "Da Hui". Many people were upset with "When You're In Prison", but I found it to be hilarious (although it could have been a hidden track).
Which brings us to "Splinter"'s #1 problem, and that's its length. Some people may not be bothered by this, but in the age of downloading I want to know I'm getting my money's worth when I actually buy an album. If you get it for $16, then "Splinter" charges you 50 cents per minute of listening, and that's including "When You're In Prison". By contrast, if you get an album by Pearl Jam (my favorite band) on sale, you may pay less than 25 cents per minute. "Splinter"'s brevity makes it feel rushed and unfinished, and makes me say that you may be better off trying to download it. You can't tell me that after years of work, the best you could give me was 30 minutes of only 11 tracks.
Offspring made a somewhat good album with "Splinter", but it just feels like it could have been much more. Buy it if you want to complete your Offspring collection (as I did), but if not then you're probably better off downloading it. After all, Offpsring's one of the few bands that doesn not condemn that.
 Almost 20 years and STILL awesome!! December 16, 2003
13 out of 16 found this review helpful
How do these guys do it!? after almost 20 years they make possibly their best CD ever, either this or Ixnay is the best! And the crtic reviews arent as bad as people say, they are all 3/5 or a "B", those arent bad even tho this CD deserves way more. Only a band like the Offspring can make great music after this long while changing their style but holding on to their roots.1. Neocon (N/A) - This is really an intro, but its almost a song and its really good, I never skip it. 2. The Noose (10/10) - This is a great song, very catchy and unique, sounds alot like an older AFI song actually. You might have heard the intro on Monday Night Football 3. Long Way Home (10/10) - This features Jim from Pennywise in it, its very cool, sounds kinda like Pennywise too. 4. Hit That (9/10) - This is a great song for a radio single 5. Race Against Myself (9/10) - Alot like "Gone Away" or "Amazed" from Ixnay but w/ a twist, its great. 6. (Cant Get My) Head Around You (10/10) - Probably my favorite, this will be the 2nd single. Its awesome, loud, fast, and powerful. 7. Worst Hangover Ever (8/10) - A cool catchy ska song 8. Never Gonna Find Me (8/10) - A cool punk song, sounds like Pennywise kinda, a very cool ending. 9. Lightning Rod (10/10) - Maybe my favorite. Wow. This had to grow on me a little but I love it now, a unique punk song with a big twist. 10. Spare Me The Details (10/10) - This is an awesome acoustic song, the most different thing Offspring have ever done, sounds a little like Green Day 11. Da Hui (10/10) - Fast, ripping, short, awesome! Conclusion: This could possibly be their best CD ever, and thats saying ALOT
 I splinter by my own design December 9, 2003
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
Imagine Offspring frontman Dexter Holland as a weary traveler on a dusty road at 4 o'clock on a particularly hot afternoon. The bags under his eyes, evidence of the level of stress he's been subjected to, are sinking further down his face. Random patches of facial hair cover his chin and a pair of worn-down sunglasses hang off the edge of his nose, askew. But he's determined to push on, even as the odds are against him, and somehow clings to the strength within to keep on going. This is what The Offspring's seventh (and quite possibly last) album consists of. The struggle against oneself when trying to carry on with life.
The album's paradox lies within the fact that it sounds as jaded as it does hopeful. The proverbial driver realizes that he will probably never reach his destination, but a force within pushes him to keep going. Songs like "Long Way Home" and "Race Against Myself" are of a determinedly pessimistic nature, yet also seem to cling to a last, dimly shining will to endure. In "Long Way Home", Dexter sings "I'm driving down a dusty road, I got no where to go, no place that I can call my home", before concluding with "What lies ahead you cannot find for me, on and on I'll take the long way home". Musically speaking, it's The Offspring's definite best. The songs are varied. You get your moshpit anthems, your fast and aggressive punk attacks, a few of the heaviest Offspring songs in their catalogue and your healthy dose of pop songs as well. A standout track is "The Noose", which kicks off the album after the brief "Neocon" intro. Quite comparable with "Staring at the Sun" from Americana, this is a brilliant little slice of uncompromising punk rock heaven.
"Hit That" is the token first single, and while it's not absolutely brilliant, it's quite enjoyable pop punk, with keyboards and drum samples thrown in for fun. "Spare Me The Details" is the acoustic-guitar-driven pop song everybody's been raving about. It's fun, and reminiscent of something off The Vandal's back-catalogue. "The Worst Hangover Ever" is a ska song, complete with horns and all, which Offspring haven't done since 1998's "Why Don't You Get a Job?" off Americana. (The Americana comparisons are inevitable, these albums resemble each other in structure and in tone, as well.) The main problem I see with this album, and probably the only thing that keeps it from reaching five-star status in my eyes (and ears), is it's length. There's 12 tracks. One of them, the first, is an intro, and the last is a novelty song thrown in for fun. So we get 10 real songs, and as good as they are, it's just too little material for a band that's been away for 3 whole years. The album includes some fun little extras in the Enhanced features, though, which sort of makes up for the CD being just 32 minutes long. Highly recommended by a once-dedicated Offspring fan who kind of jumped off the wagon after Conspiracy of One. This album impressed me. It might impress you, too.
Damned if they do, Damned if they don't December 13, 2003
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
After reading many different reviews of this record here and elsewhere, I've come to the conclusion that the Offspring just can't win with some people. Some say that the Offspring continue to pump out the same music over and over without giving it any though or creativity. Others chastize them for not making every album sound exactly like Smash. Which way is it? Perhaps if people would just listen to music for what it is and not be so quick to judge, they would see the good in it. Ask the average person what catergory of music The Offspring fall under, and most will tell you Punk. That's fine by me. Does that mean that every sone they put out has have the hardcore sound like every song on Smash or Ignition? I sure don't hope so. Bands change and evolve with time, and so does their music. It would get mighty boring listening to the same album with a different title over and over. While I still enjoy a kick ass punk jam (Da Hui, Lightning Rod, etc..) that doesn't necessarily I don't appreciate the clever creativeness of Worst Hangover and Spare Me The Details. If people wouldn't be so quick to judge the music or throw it into a specific catergory, perhaps they would see that a band doesn't have to necessarily fit firmly into a particular mold (ie Punk, Rock, Country, etc..) to make good music. Overall, I think the Offspring have created a winner with Splinter. Maybe even one of their best yet. If you are a fan of the Offspring, I highly recommend this CD. Just remember to listen to it objectively, and perhaps you will enjoy it for what it really is, great music. Even if it doesn't fit a particular mold.
A totally decent Offspring record September 27, 2004
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The Offspring returns with their same sense of lively, swaggering, and energetic brand of punk revival that made them who they are today. They muscle their way through a 30 minute album that will leave longtime fans drooling at the mouth for more.
Coming off of the surprisingly underrated "Conspiracy Of One", an MTV and radio flop, "Splinter" returns with something that casual fans and hardcore fans will enjoy alike. Whether it's the radio single "Hit That", the punk/ska hilarity of "The Worst Hangover Ever", or the classic story telling of "Spare Me the Details" on the poppier end of things, to the harder more metal side, belting out songs like "Long Way Home", "Lightning Rod" and "Da Hui". They close the album out nicely with "When You're in Prison", a 1930s style tale of watching your back in the big house, complete with the fake crackling of the record in the background. It's a beautifully produced album with a bit of nostalgia thrown in to the mid-nineties fueled punk sound.
Critics will be hard on The Offspring for their brand of sophomoric humor that they refuse to give up. But this will be irrelevant to longtime fans. They will be happier than anyone about "Splinter".
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