ROCK

THE OFFSPRING

Greatest Hits (Columbia)"/>

Long after Dexter Holland's unfortunate cornrow phase has been forgotten, his punk band, the Offspring, is sure to be remembered (if at all) as the novelty act behind the Fred Durst-baiting, hip-hop-spoofing, goof-punk hit "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)."

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And that's kind of sad because the Offspring had a whole lot more to offer than novelty hits -- although they tightened their noose with their own hands after following "Pretty Fly" with a second hip-hop culture dis, "Original Prankster," and the girlfriend-bashing, post-Beatles polka with cheesy cruise-ship horns of "Why Don't You Get A Job?".

You want proof? Look no further than "Come Out and Play," the song that put them on the map outside the California surf-punk ghetto. It's quirky, true, but never goofy, making the most of a Spaghetti Eastern guitar riff on the road to a money-shot singalong chorus punctuated by a spoken-word "You gotta keep 'em separated." And the second hit from the 1994 aptly titled album "Smash" was even better, an infectious blast of post-Nirvana bubble-grunge called "Self Esteem."

The picture this collection paints is one that finds the Offspring peaking early on tracks from "Smash" (including the equally smash-worthy post-grunge charms of "Gotta Get Away") and "Ixnay on the Hombre."

But there's something to be said for "Pretty Fly;" in fact, it's something of a classic, a cute little novelty single that playfully balances juvenile social critique with a lovable chorus of fly girls purring, "Give it to me baby." And with "Want You Bad," from the Y2K album that gave you "Original Prankster," and "(Can't Get My) Head Around You," they've shown that they still know how to capture your attention without resorting to a pie in the face.

The Offspring headlines this year's Vans Warped Tour, which hits the Post-Gazette Pavilion Aug. 1.

-- Ed Masley, Post-Gazette, pop music critic

TRACY BONHAM

'BLINK THE BRIGHTEST' (ZOE)

There's nothing here that will lead violinist Tracy Bonham back to the Modern Rock charts she topped with "Mother Mother" in 1996 -- not unless there's an alternate mix in the works with Brandon from the Killers or Trent Reznor sitting in.

But anyone who liked her back in '96 should have no trouble liking "Blink the Brightest" now. This stunning collection of haunting "alternative" pop songs is fueled by Bonham's darkly comic wit and flair for well-turned phrases.

The title of the quirky "I Was Born Without You" is a set-up for "Why can't I live without you now?" One especially melancholy piano ballad finds Bonham suggesting that "Whether you fall means nothing at all/It's whether you get up." But nothing tops the devastating ballad with eerie violin that finds her responding to all life's sadness with "The kid inside your head keeps asking why the world has the nerve to keep turning."

And the hooks are as engaging as the lyrics, from the soaring alt-rock majesty of "Something Beautiful" to the haunting refrain of "And the World Has the Nerve To Keep Turning."

Tracy Bonham is at Club Cafe July 8 as the opening act on a Shannon McNally gig. The show begins at 7. Tickets are $12.

-- Ed Masley

SECRET MACHINES

'THE ROAD LEADS WHERE IT'S LED' (REPRISE)

The haunting post-rock dirge the Secret Machines have made of "Money (That's What I Want)" is somehow more bizarre than what the Flying Lizards did to that same song in the summer of '79. It's kind of soothing, though, and surprisingly more effective than the other cover ballads here -- Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" as U2 might have done it and the epic, synthesizer-driven psychedelics of Bob Dylan's "Girl From the North Country."

This six-song EP kicks off with two solid new originals: the upbeat space-rock of the title track and "Better Bring Your Friends," a psychedelic hoedown. But they save the best for last -- an eight-minute Bowie-esque cover of "(Deluxe) Immer Wieder" originally by the Krautrock supergroup Harmonia.

-- Ed Masley