Americana
There are two good reasons to look beyond Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) on Americana. One is that The Offspring have sharper songs here. The other is that the album eventually travels somewhere much stranger than its most famous joke suggests. The route is uneven, but it gives the record a personality that a collection of singles would lack.
Have You Ever and Staring at the Sun establish the fast side of the band early. The playing is direct and energetic, and Dexter Holland's voice has the right impatient edge. Those songs make it clear that the album's broader pop appeal has not removed its interest in a quick, hard attack.
The Kids Aren't Alright is the strongest meeting of tune and subject. The guitar melody is immediately clear, while the stories of damaged lives give the chorus a sadness that Holland does not have to explain. It has the scale of an anthem and the uncomfortable detail of a small neighbourhood falling apart.
The comic songs are less reliable. Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) has an effective rhythm and an unmistakable hook, but the caricature offers limited room for discovery. Why Don't You Get a Job? is cheerful enough to sound almost detached from the complaint it carries. These tracks provide variety, yet their repeated punchlines can crowd out the record's more interesting emotions.
No Brakes restores a useful sense of urgency, and the title track gives the social disgust a rougher musical setting. Holland sounds more convincing when the song itself shares his impatience. There is also room for loss in The End of the Line, keeping the album from becoming one long sneer.
Then Pay the Man stretches the ending into a slow, unusual introduction and an extended rock performance. Its patience is surprising after so many quick statements. Americana works best when its accessible surface leads towards something troubled or unexpected. The biggest jokes may attract attention, but the darker songs provide the reason to stay.
