I honestly just encountered one of the most strangest things ever in my musical life: I just switched in this
MxPx EP for a
Slayer album...talk about contradiction.
Anyway, listening to
MxPx is still like unlocking the door in my mind that leads back to my youthful days of punk rawk aggression. I was hip and cool cause I had wrist studs to match my killer studded belt. I wore my chucks and tried to spike my hair. In other words, I was a complete bad a
ss. And
MxPx lead me every step of the way. I never missed a beat when one of their albums came out. And since I couldn't drive at the time, it was up to my faithful servants (parentals) to take time from their jobs to go to Best Buy and buy it for me (I'd pay them, of course. But not for gas). So when "
The Renaissance EP" came bursting out, I was siked. Partly because
MxPx never really advertised this EP at all. I mean, a week before it came I remember was when they posted a little snippet on their website that basically said "
Yea so we're back on the road and Yuri last night totally blah blah blah oh yea, we're releasing an EP next week!". When I read that, it was frenzy. Wahoo! Hip hip hooray! More pop punk for me to indulge myself into and tell my sister how much of a conformist she is!
Now that being said, it was actually hard to find this album. I don't even know if it's print anymore. It could be, but I never see it anywhere anymore. Hell, when it first came out, I went to at least two different stores before I found it at Media Play, which just recently closed by me. And with its short length of a mere 18 minutes, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't available anymore. But just cause it's short doesn't mean it isn't an enjoyment.
The album is actually quite diverse for it's short length. Songs like "
Letting Go", "
Party II", "
The Opposite", "
Don't Look Back", and the incredibly cool "
Lonesome Town" are all straight up true pop punk songs, with emphasis on melody and the catchy factor. The guitar work from Tom is slick, and since they don't have a second guitar playing, Tom hardly really branches off to do lead work and what not. Him and Mike (bass) tend to stick close together, much like most pop punk. But whenever a song seems to slow down, Tom is there playing a soft, imaginative little number before jumping right back into the mix with some power chords and what not. The songs that I listed earlier are all great enjoyment. "
Lonesome Town" might have to be one of their greatest songs ever, with a piercing straight forward guitar and Yuri playing like a wild man on drums. And on a quick note, Yuri's playing is so much better on this EP than on the last album. One listen to his single bass drum beat on "
Lonesome Town" and he will gain easy approval in your mind. The rest of the tracks, like "
Party II" and "
The Opposite" have such poppy flavor that it'll leave your mouth watering, eagerly awaiting the next bite.
Before I continue, let me address again how much of difference Mike's bass playing and Yuri's drumming is here. They're both a huge step up than on "
The Ever Passing Moment". Yuri's drumming patterns and fills on tracks like "
Don't Look Back" and "
The Struggle" are all downright cool, and deserve respect. Mike's bass playing actually features variations, like on "
The Opposite", where you can clearly hear him doing his own shiznit like slides and pops while he sings.
However, there are quite a few stinkers on here. Mostly when the guys try and break outside their mold and go into more of Punk and even Hardcore sound. While tracks like "
Time Will Tell" and "
Talk of the Town" feature great bass work from Mike and equally impressive drum work, they both just don't sound like
MxPx. Both of them have Mike almost screaming at points, and it's highly recommended that you just skip them. They sound too dark and angry for
MxPx, which was built on happiness and all that jazz. "
Yuri Wakes Up Screaming" is a completely non-essential track...basically a filler, and is a horrible way to end this EP. It's bland and repetitive.
Just like how those tracks are darker, the lyrics too seem a bit too depressing for
MxPx. While they're better than previously, they just feel out of place sometimes. I mean, although "
Lonesome Town" is a cool song, Mike sounds seriously depressed when he wails "
They always said that lonesome town would finally get to me, but lonesome is the only way that I truly feel free". I mean, what happened to loving God and shouting out stuff like "
Responsibility, what's that?!". They're just not here. However, "
Party II", is quite funny, as it is supposed to be the continuation of one of their previous songs, "
Party, My House, Be There", and gripes about how much cleaning up after a party sucks. And while "
Yuri Wakes Up Screaming" is a basically a stupid song, the lyrics are quite funny, as they just repeat the title over and over only to have Yuri at the end scream out for his mom like a 2 year old who just wet the bed.
Mike's voice, like the lyrics, seem a bit darker. Just by looking at the lyrics I put out there from "
Lonesome Town", its not hard to imagine Mike's high voice sinking lower and lower each time to sound more depressed. It's actually quite cool, really. He gives off a more diverse vocal range. Tracks like "
Letting Go" and "
Don't Look Back" have Mike going from soft talking to full blown singing. Quite impressive for a genre that's known for having whiny little guys. Mike's voice can go from low to high in a matter of seconds, and it perfectly mixes with the tone of the album. Like I stated before, however, on tracks "
Time Will Tell" and "
Talk of the Town" have Mike almost screaming, which kinda hurt my ears a little bit. Mike's a singer, not a screamer.
Overall, this EP is a fun little trip. Tracks like "
Lonesome Town", "
Party II" and "
The Opposite" are all highly enjoyable. Tom's guitar work is simple yet effective, Mike's bass playing is significantly better, and Yuri is a beast on drums. But when they try to get a more darker, heavier sound like on "
Time Will Tell", you just want to hit the skip button. And with only 9 songs, it's not much, especially when they only total 18 minutes. But its
MxPx, and its still fun.
Overall - 3/5
Recommended Tracks
Lonesome Town
Letting Go
Party II
The Opposite
