You can do it!
Until the break of dawn
Life, life
Cannot go by the letter
Time, time
Prozac can make it better
Noise, noise
Any kind will do
Can you...
But as opposed to Blink, which powers straight ahead with scatological juvenility, the Offspring bridges punk with change-ups of metal and traditional rock and brings a more sarcastic wit to its observations of male teen angst.
'Conspiracy of One' continues very much in the vein of its three high energy predecessors. Dexter Holland still sings as if every muscle in his neck were taut, guitarist Noodles cranks out the rivet gun riffs, the band knows a good hook when it latches onto one, and, in the venerable tradition of the Ramones, nearly every one of its fast paced songs sounds pretty much the same.
The Offspring once again demonstrate this knack for incorporating flavor-of-the-month flourishes into their sound in tongue-in-cheek fashion.... These embellishments aside, the Offspring hone in on the dyed-in-the-wool cheetah-paced punk that is their true bread and butter. [Jan 2001, p.81]
Conspiracy of One? It's fine. Is there anything here as cute as "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)"? No: Like with Ixnay on the Hombre, their follow-up to the megahit Smash, this follow-up to the even more megahit Americana finds them in dance-with-the-girl-what-brung-you mode--more punk, less pop.
The Offspring are nothing if not reliable. If you're after jangly guitars riffs, chart-thumping production values and shouty choruses, then the Orange County punk outfit are still very much your guys.
Setting aside the abhorrent "Original Prankster," which plumbs new depths of Yankovic appropriation--and throws in a stupid Rob Schneider sample to boot--the bulk of the album indulges The Offspring's preferable loud-fast-shrill side... Conspiracy Of One's crowd-pleasing novelty idiocy doesn't run much deeper than its single, and while that may disappoint those who enjoyed Americana, it makes it The Offspring's most tolerable record in years.
Phenomenal CD, my personal favorite by the Offspring (barely beating Americana and Smash, but still). There are a good number of songs on thisPhenomenal CD, my personal favorite by the Offspring (barely beating Americana and Smash, but still). There are a good number of songs on this album I would recommend, those songs being "Original Prankster", "Want You Bad", "Million Miles Away", "Damnit, I Changed Again", "One Fine Day", and the 2nd hidden track, "Videos". These are some of the finest works by The Offspring…Expand
I love The Offspring and their music. I have most of their CD's, which all play great punk rock music. On my guitar, I've learned I love The Offspring and their music. I have most of their CD's, which all play great punk rock music. On my guitar, I've learned about 20 songs. From this CD, tracks 3,4,8,9,11, and various parts from several other songs, so I can isolate just the guitars' music and I can appreciate just how talented Dexter and Noodles really are to be able to think of this music and to be able to play the way they do. All of the songs are fun to play, the music is well written, and the lyrics are witty and humorous and each melody matches its song. If I remember correctly from an online interview with Dexter that I read, he said that each album has it's own style (if I'm wrong, I apologize) so Conspiracy of One is expected to be styled a little different than the others. If all the CD's were exactly the same style, then it would be pretty boring after the third album-but that's not the case with these guys. I say that Smash and Ignition were The Offspring's best albums. I call their style back then "Offspringy." Though their style has changed; perhaps too much (sorry to sound like a hypocrate), I still can't wait for Chinese Democracy's release. I know The Offspring won't disappoint us fans because when it comes to The Offspring, there's just no such thing as "bad music" or a "flunkie album."…Expand
I hate everyone that says the offspring are fake punk, or there not pop enough, or there not emo enough. I hate to break it to you kids, but I hate everyone that says the offspring are fake punk, or there not pop enough, or there not emo enough. I hate to break it to you kids, but the Offspring is an ALTERNATIVE band, something that has been forgoton under years of market pressure and false advertisment, and i hope everyone who is a true fan of this music rembers that.…Expand
Seriously such an underrated album. This often gets overshadowed by it's older brother 'Americana' or simply labelled 'Americana Part 2' butSeriously such an underrated album. This often gets overshadowed by it's older brother 'Americana' or simply labelled 'Americana Part 2' but that couldn't be any further from the truth. The songs on here feel more refined and varied. I love Americana, but 'Conspiracy of One' should not be forgotten.
Come Out Swinging - As the title suggest, this song really does start the album out strong, with a relentless drum beat throughout, Dexter's signature strong voice and a rare Offspring breakdown, it's one of their best openers.
Original Prankster - This is a song people tend to love or hate. I'm personally a lot more positive about it. I think it was the perfect lead single to follow up 'Pretty Fly (For a White Guy' and incorporates even more of that skate punk style. The small contributions by Redman also just adds that tiny bit of of uniqueness to the track.
Want You Bad - As an 18 year old writing this in 2023, I unfortunately was not able to experience this song playing on MTV before school and I certainly have no desire to see the American Pie films. However, I can still very much appreciate this song and why it resonated with so many people. And yes, I am one of the many who took a long time to realise he meant bad as in 'rebellious' and not just as an exemplifier of his feelings.
Million Miles Away - Possibly the first slight stumble on the album? Don't get me wrong, it is a quality song, incorporating even more of Dexter's signature 'Woahs'. However, this always felt like an odd choice for a single. It does not particularly stand out when compared to the rest of the tracks, and I feel it would perhaps be one of the bands most forgotten songs if it wasn't given the single treatment.
Dammit, I Changed Again - I feel maybe this would have been a more suitable song as a single. Though the riff overall is not unique, with bands such as Sum 41 using it later on in their song 'Thanks For Nothing', this is a song where I feel the vocals shine particularly bright here. There is a very consistent energy with this song which means it is often stuck repeating over and over in my head.
Living in Chaos - For some reason, it took me a long time to really appreciate this songs greatness when compared to many other tracks on the album. The verses especially stand out, the guitars sounding very unique and unlike anything the band really did before. And I do not know how to describe it as I have no musical qualifications, but the 'Get on it' part of the chorus has such a sense of momentum to it and I just love it.
Special Delivery - Again another song where I dint fall in love immediately but did over time. I perhaps shouldn't enjoy a song about an obsessive stalker as much as I do, but its not my fault it rocks. The inclusion of the famous soundbite from 'Hooked on a Feeling' is a pretty neat inclusion too.
One Fine Day - Possibly my favourite song on the album. It's a very fast song which does not let up (apart from during the bridge) and that just makes it extremely fun to learn the lyrics and chant along too. This song was also supposedly based on British football culture, so its nice to have such a good Offspring song representing my nation.
All Along - I certainly do not mind super short songs, but I don't think this one is particularly interesting, which makes the short runtime contribute even more so to it's overall forgettability.
Denial Revisited - Besides from 'All I Have Left Is You' from 2012s 'Days Go By' this is likely my favourite Offspring Ballad. Yet another song where the vocals carry this song to great heights. The chorus is really powerful and I absolutely love the last verse where there's a solid 40 seconds of amazing, whiney and passionate vocals from the main man.
Vultures - Definitely the most unique song on the album. This would feel right at home on 'Ixnay on the Hombre'. It's certainly a very good song, however it is not one I find myself revisiting a ton.
Conspiracy Of One - Unfortunately, we do not end the album on a particularly a strong note. The title tracks suffers the same issue 'All Along' does, where it is just kind of forgettable. I think they were trying to go for one final strong burst of energy to close the album, but it does fall somewhat flat.
Overall though, what a great album. This album seriously needs more recognition and appreciation by the hardcore fans. With only a few forgettable songs but no outright bad ones, I implore you listen to this all the way through.…Expand
For the first time in their considerably long career, The Offspring's poppy punk sounds tired and dulled, as if they've officially For the first time in their considerably long career, The Offspring's poppy punk sounds tired and dulled, as if they've officially surrendered to the far inferior juvenalia of Blink-182.…Expand
