Offspring Month: Ignition (1992)

Ignition, they call it an obsession, I think it's kinda bitchen, 

I think it's kinda neeeeeeeeeeeeat!

The Offspring: Ignition (1992) - singles marked with red

• Session  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  - What an opening! Instead of counting in, Ron shouts Fuck!, Fuck fuck! and then Fuck! one more time, then starts a crazy drumbeat, joined by a moan from Dexter. Finally the guitar arrives too, and... whoa! One of their simplest chord progressions (probably the easiest Offspring song to play on guitar), but the speed and sheer force they put into it... ah, man. The lyrics are about a guy trapped in a fuckbuddy relationship with a girl (ain't no string attached, I guess I got it made). It was co-written by Jill Eckhaus and Kristine Luna, who would later became Mrs. Holland.
• We Are One  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  - You know that awesome feeling when during an epic orgasm your thingy just keeps giving away shots? One shot, two shots, and oh sweet Jesus, a third one... the intro is just like that feeling drawn out to 30 seconds.The intro is pretty remarkable, I must say. Rather than a harsh critique on selfishness, the song is an objection about how you can find it in all of our hearts. Just my interpretation, of course. The longest song of Ignition, in fact it may be a bit too long in my opinion, but a great outro makes up for it. 
• Kick Him When He's Down  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  - Released as an air-play only single in 1995 (after the success of Smash, of course) it's a sad, but friggin' catchy little masterpiece. Anyone who ever felt low about themselves and their everyday lives can identify with these lyrics. They set up a really depressing mood, but a hint of hope, acceptance, kindness appears in the last third. This is a classic Offspring trick, we'll bump into it in some other really good songs. 
• Take It Like a Man  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪   - Found the lyrics a bit awkward in this one - Everyone knows, Everyone knows / You've got to fit into the mainstream / So save your woes - but the music ain't that bad, and it has some of the Eastern feeling of the first record. Wouldn't put it among the best tracks of the album, but other Ignition-enthusiasts might disagree with this.
• Get It Right  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  - Our old friend from Baghdad, as amazing as ever. This is their original 'no self-esteem' song. The narrator - trivial, but fact: Dexter's lyrics are rarely biographical - can't get his things right (duh), no matter how hard he tries, he can't change himself, so he just lays in bed and dreams of brighter days - I always loved that expression. They would use it again in The End of the Line, and it seems like the central theme of Days Go By, too. Just like Kick Him, Get It Right is a pretty emphatic song. But this one won't lift you up in the end. 
• Dirty Magic ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪   - Hands down, best fucking track on the album, and easily one of the best Offspring songs. Truly magical, mostly clean, and somehow evil riffs, soaked with grunge. Dexter's voice rivals the most tragic collection of Cobainian moans and oh my god, that chorus, especially when it kicks in, kicking, destroying the verse's ass, but the verse doesn't mind it, they join evil forces, spells are being cast, and demons come out from our speakers. OK, I don't make a lot of sense now. This is what Dirty Magic does to people. Awesome song.
• Hypodermic ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  - Basically If you're a junkie, you're a coward, but don't worry about it, once you get your dose, it won't matter anyway - nothing does. As a really nice musical symbolism, the song literally falls into pieces in the last 20 seconds. Now you hear it, now you don't. It partied too hard. It's dead. 
• Burn It Up  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪ - Think about Beheaded in Christopher Nolan style: it's about a pyromaniac guy, running around and torching stuff all night long, and goddamn, is he having a ball or what. A fun, morbid, punky ride. Contains the word ignition.  
• No Hero  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  - Something deeper than survivor's guilt, questioning ourselves and our actions after a good friend's suicide. Hard as rock, but at the same time surprisingly emotional and sad stuff. (Although not if you're a fan of Tommy Wiseau's cult movie, The Room - in that case you're going to laugh your ass of during the chorus. Still a great song.)
• L.A.P.D.  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪ - Starts out with a somewhat threatening, cool and somehow cold bassline, some sirens, then the guitar kicks in and it progresses into one of, if not the fastest, angriest Offspring songs. Dexter doesn't really sing, more like raps about police brutality, and the way the whole thing just explodes out in the chorus really leaves and impression. Catchy as white trash. I could headbang to this for hours
• Nothing from Something   ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪ - Ever felt like you could break something after a really long day or a frustrating argument with someone. The guys and co-writer Marvin Fergusen did. They wrote a three minutes long adrenaline and anger bomb about it. Usually, breaking stuff for real doesn't feel half as good as listening to this song. 
• Forever and a Day  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  ♪  - Oh, those golden moments when someone tries to argue with you or putting an idea in your head, using reasoning a'la massive-o' bullshitto. Sometimes I'd like to shout this song into the face of my ex-girlfriend. Other times into my parents'. None of the three would understand the English lyrics, though. The rhymes come out a bit awkwardly at the end - yeaaaah -, and the mixing isn't perfect - the music really buries the vocals at times, especially during the chorus -,  but it's still an awesome little track with a sympathetic message. Great album closer. 

As far as punk albums go in the California bunch, this is one of the best ever. A fast, dark record, full of catchy, hard riffs and heavy themes. Definitely not part of that now infamous Popspring stuff. It's rough, and at first it may seem hard getting into it, but under the surface it's full of melody, emotion and lyrics that make you think. Highly recommended even for someone who's just generally or occasionally into rock music.

Among Offspring fans it's one of the favorites. After Smash exploded, it sold pretty well, and was remastered & reissued in 2008 on RAFRAG's release date. It's best if  you listen to a FLAC rip, though... of course only after you bought an original copy. Arrr?

 No next time this time (we all know what's coming anyway, riiiiiight?), just some crude foreshadowing. Yes, I do own the CD.