I don't think I need to say that I'm a big MxPx fan - I say that at the beginning of every review of theirs that I do. They're the band that pretty much got me into punk, and indirectly Punktastic, so if you're looking for something to blame for this abomination of a website, it's Mike Herrera and co. Their mid-to-early records are a massive influence on me musically, with 'Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo' a real favourite and 'Life In General' in my top 10 albums of all time. However, as the band have (quite literally) grown up, their sound has become ever diluted. 'The Everpassing Moment' was poppy but still good, while their last album was, I'm sorry to say, pretty dire. 'Panic', their first full-length for Side One Dummy, is more of a return to form.
Let's get one thing straight - this isn't as good as 'Life In General' - it's no 'Pokinatcha' or 'The Everpassing Moment' either, but it's far, far better than their last record. 'Panic' is as poppy as 'Before, Everything and After', but is infinitely better, without ever reaching the heights of their back catalogue. 'The Darkest Places' is a good start, setting the tone for the rest of the record. It's a CD that is uplifting and very melodic, but not quite as aggressive or hard-hitting as the band have been before - and I make no apologies for cross-referencing the band back to the late 90s as they set their own very high standards.
While songs like 'Heard That Sound' are catchy, they're ultimately very disposable - there's not enough substance to some of the songs here, so while I'll be listening to 'Panic' into the summer, I'm not sure whether it will go on and last its entirity. For example, 'Cold Streets' is a good track with a catchy chorus, but it's ruined by the cheesy 'Wrecking Hotel Rooms', which sounds like a Simple Plan b-side and should have been left on the cutting room floor. But then for every poor song (see 'Emotional Anarchist' as an example) there are two of three gems; 'Grey Skies Turn Blue' throws in some keys for an ultra-poppy melodic synth-fest, while 'Get Me Out' is as close to anything the band did pre-'Life In General'.
'Panic' is no world-beater, but compared to the dirge they served up last time round, it goes to show that MxPx can still write some good songs. However, they again fail to hit the heights they did 10 years ago and I'm not convinced their attempts to go for the major leagues and MTV by sugar-coating their sound will ever be vindicated. If 'Panic' had (god forbid) been worse than their last record, it would have signalled the end of a pretty distinguished career, but MxPx may have bought themselves some extra time. It's not the best album they've done, but it's not that bad either. Die-hards will possibly reject it, but with the summer approaching, you could do a lot worse...
www.mxpx.com
Side One Dummy
Paul
