There are many bands that have changed the landscape of their sound; bands that may have refused to enter the mainstream at first.
Take big hitters Green Day, for example. The Californian band played shows at the hallowed venue Gilman Street in the midst of the punk boom in the late 80s’early 90s but eventually signed on the dotted line and became superstars. They were much maligned by the fanatical, pure, punk faithful after doing so.
Green Day changed the model of their music after the release of Dookie in 1994 and Insomniac in 1995, by gravitating towards a more poppy route. Their sound was truly altered by the release of melodic heart-puller Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) in 1997, where frontman Billie Joe Armstrong sang with his acoustic guitar as a crutch of truth.
Punk hit the mainstream with a bang in the mid-90s/early 2000s as many bands came out of the framework to release some decent music within this genre, although that time was littered with many under-par records too. Nu metal clashed with punk, and that genre really elevated some bands to the height of fame for a slender period.
It was ‘American Idiot’ that changed the landscape of punk and Green Day’s output in 2004. Such a stellar album, it showed that the band could experiment, though it also showed that the band was in transition. Their music had taken a darker, political route, with the alternative scene being the band’s new home. ‘American Idiot’ was a different beast altogether, proving the act could mix it with the stalwarts.
The Offspring was another band that defined mainstream punk in the 90s and totally shook their style in the 2000s. Their first few records were volatile, such as ‘Smash,’ which was released in 1994 the same year as Green Day’s Dookie LP. After the commotion of razor-sharp punk, The Offspring began to alter their musical charms, and after another few raucous records, including the timeless ‘Americana,’ the band quickly drew inspiration from politics and other themes.
Fast forward to 2008, The Offspring released an ultra-modern, melodic, somewhat mainstream album in ‘Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace.’ That album showed a different side to a band that mastered volatility, and it shook the music industry for its diversity in terms of harmony and polish. The songs had more panache and more structure to them, and while some didn’t like this new direction, it put The Offspring on the map yet again.
There are two songs on the album that showcase frontman Dexter Holland in a new light, and they’re suitable ballads for lovers on a voyage of self-discovery. Holland sings graciously on ‘Kristy Are You Doing Okay?’ and Fix You.’ Both are heart-pullers and many fans embraced them without caution.
‘Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace’ still had that raucous side to appeal to fans of punk, but these punk songs were polished. The album delivered a mixture of mainstream hits and soft trinkets, showcasing the band in a brand-new light. So, while the band came from the 90s punk buzz, it showed they could go through a transition without the usual teething problems.