Customer Reviews

PANIC [Vinyl]

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

MxPx have the kind of following most bands would dream of having after playing together for so many years. They have hit every possible spectrum in their 10+ years on the music scene. They've played almost every style of punk you could imagine. Most would mention how their last two albums catered more toward a wider audience but what you really should mention is how they gained the respect that they did and that was with their honest lyrics and cool as hell guitar riffs. I own every record and have come to expect a little less from my three favorite punks as the years have gone by and I was so dissapointed that their last record did not garner them the fame they so sorely deserve. Say what you want about that record but it should have sold triple platinum and put these boys on top. If anyone deserves it,it's them.To say the least, they didn't hit it big and now they have changed record labels and seem to be less interested in getting the attention of the kinds of fans that don't stick around for longer than an album or two.

So this leaves us with MxPx as we know them today and the boys well...we've this heard sound before and you either already love it or you are bored of it. This will probably be praised as their "return to their punk roots" and yes this has less pop catchy tunes and alot more faster drumming and guitar riffs. I still can't help but feel that the band is no longer taking chances and alot of what they play sounds strangely familiar to the other hundreds of songs they've written over the years. With Green Day reinventing Punk Rock as we know it, bands like MxPx unfortunately sound like it's the same ol' sound over and over again.

If you're already ready to push that "did not help" button under this review, well relax. It's still a good record full of everything we love and the lyrics have vastly improved from their last record which was full of way too many love songs. And this time around I have no problem relating to their lyrics about life and trying to live with living. They still remain my favorite punk trio and they never cease to rock my socks. This is the album that should have followed "Slowly going the way of the Buffalo". It feels more like a natural progression of their work from that album instead of the kind of songs found in "The Ever Passing Moment" and "Before Everything & After". The good news is that this is the MxPx we love and the bad news is that this is the MxPx that we love. How you take that, is up to you.

MXPX has always managed to change their sound with every album (and I would suggest that this is a good thing --though they've probably lost as many fans as they've gained because of it). Unfortunately, their last album (BEFORE EVERYTHING & AFTER) was a change for the worse: recorded over a 3 month period and cram-packed with every bell and whistle you could think to shake a stick at, resulting in a cookie-cutter pop-rock album that was bound to disappoint. However, PANIC, which was recorded in 22 days, is both a step forward (with more intricate guitar, bass, and drum work) and a step back (bringing some of their older and heavier sound back into the mix). When all is said and done, PANIC should rejuvenate the public's faith in the 3 boys from Bremerton. At the very least, it makes up for BEAA.

MxPx has been around on the punk scene for some time now, starting in the early to mid 90's, but only in the past few years have their songs gotten any national press. However, with the release of Panic, MxPx has shined up and perhaps even pepped up enough for mass consumption to boost them completely in the mainstream.

For instance, their first single (college radio single for sure), is a relatively repetitive, although still quite entertaining song, called "Heard That Sound". This is not the only song like this on the album though, as many of the other songs lack the drive that early MxPx albums had, such as `Young and Depressed' (most likely the second single.)

Still though, even with MxPx's gradual conversion (along with a lot of punk bands) to a more popular and pleasing sound, they still present a good album. Because although this is not the MxPx of old, for better or worse, many would never have heard of them if not for their new polish and recent acclaim.

OK. I've been an MXPX fan for years...since the 2:00 minute songs off Teenage Politics and Pokinatcha. I've followed them through all of their albums. I've been slightly disappointed by some (TEPM and BEAA especially) and I've rejoiced in what I thought was their best album ever: Life in General. But this album definitely gives LIG a run for it's money. I bought it the day it came out and it hasn't left my car stereo since. From Track 1 to Track 14, this song delivers what every CD should: EVERY SONG IS WORTH EVERY PENNY!

MXPX has now signed w/ SideOne Dummy and I think they're better for it. From the moment Yuri's drums kick in on "The Darkest Places" you know that the boys have made something special. I agree with the rest of the reviews: the crew from Bremerton have embraced their roots and gotten back to what made them great. Mike's passionate lyrics, Tom's screaming guitar (which is light-years better than anything I've ever heard him play before on previous records) and Yuri's breakneck speed on the skins are sure to silence any critics that say that they've sold out or become too soft. Like a good band they've evolved over time, but reassure hardcore fans like myself that MXPX is truly the reigning champions of Left Coast Punk.

It's so refreshing to buy an album and listen for true passion and angst without having to tune out unnecessary cuss words and worthless arrogance for money they don't have and success they can only dream about. MXPX will finally gain national attention for this album. Heck, they've put enough time in at Warped Tour to deserve it!! Much thanks, and much respect for the guys who put out one of the best pop-punk records I've ever listened to.

Highlights:
The Darkest Places
Heard That Sound
The Story
Wrecking Hotel Rooms
Late Again
Get Me Out
This Weekend

P.S. Buy BEAA and TEPM as well. They're not bad at all...despite other reviews :-)

Mxpx has been around for a long time. That being said, they have improved over their whole career. This cd is probably the best they have done. The songs are well crafted and catchy and the lyrics are good too. If you are real worried about wasting your money on it if you think there's a chance you won't like it, just check this link: http://www.purevolume.com/mxpx. You can listen to the whole cd there but ONLY FOR A LIMITED TIME!! So hurry. But even if you miss out on it, you can rest assured that you will like this cd if you like blink-182 or any other brand of pop-punk or even just punk or alternative. This is a great cd and not one song dissapoints.

Ok to clear the air alittle there last album wasn't all that bad it has alittle bit of everything. Sure thats not what every punk rock lover likes but hey it gained them the attention they very much deserve they work there buts off to get something enjoyable for everybody. THEY FINALLY GOT THE PRESS THEY DESERVE! Quit complaining if you think you can do it better then do what they do then! But ok now that being said this album ROCKS beyond all reason. They bring what we all like back to the table very nice and beefy guitar and bass peices. Don't forget the drums being well done to. Sure there are some heavier tunes that they had back in there days, but it doesn't take away from the creativeness on this cd at all. As I sit here and listen to the album right now I personally think that the best songs on this cd are Young and Depressed, Heard That Sound, The Story, Late Again, Wrecking Hotel Rooms, Get Me Out and This Weekend. The 3 boys don't disappoint w/this latest work. BRING IT MXPX!!

When I first bought this album, I thought it was okay. I was used to songs like "Punk Rawk Show" and "Chick Magnet", so this was not what I expected. After a week or so I began to like it.
After buying the previous album "Before Everything and After" I realized how much better Panic was than that album. I listened to Panic again and loved it.

The album starts out with the fast song "Darkest Places", which goes to the next song "Young and Depressed". The lyrics for that song are amazingly written! More great songs have the classic MxPx maturity (mature in a good way), only with a darker touch.

If you liked oldschool MxPx, you'll love this. It may have to grow on you, but once it does it will be one of your favorite albums ever. Give yourself a treat and buy this.

Remember the MxPx you fell in love with? The angry young men who wrote songs about love and loss and having a good time, all while rocking out something fierce? Well, as we all know, they've been lacking something on their last few albums. Maybe it's because they were growing up and accepting adult responsibilites without really knowing how to write a song about them. But their new album, Panic, is amazing. It can be summed up in one sentence: The MxPx you knew and loved is back. I don't know how they did it, but they did.

The songs on this album are hard-rocking and yet soul-bearing, gritty and at the same time, polished. They write about their usual topics, but there are different musical techniques used in the songs. "Late Again" sounds like a country ditty fit for a hoedown crossed with an Irish pub tune. It features a group of the guys' friends singing background, using the name "Bremerton Boys Choir". "Grey Skies Turn Blue" has the keys from an Elvis Costello song. For those who love a ballad, "Wrecking Hotel Rooms" is a slow, heart-felt song about love on the road, and features back-up vocals from Mark Hoppus (In case anyone misses Blink-182). And for you classic MxPx fans, listen to "Get Me Out"; it's filled with anger and heavy drum beats.

My personal favorites are:
1. "The Darkest Places" because the lyrics are amazing. To me, they speak of being true to yourself and not changing for anyone.
2. "Heard That Sound" because it reminds me of when I first started listening to MxPx.
3. "Emotional Anarchist" because the lyrics reminded me of myself.

I highly recommend this CD and hope that you, the reader, will go out and buy it. You won't regret it.

After the disappointing Before Everything & After, MxPx has released an amazing cd that reminds why they are the best pop-punk band around today.

Panic consists of 14 tracks that are full of that energy and speed that was missing from BEA. Each song is distinguishable from the rest - starting with The Darkest Places all the way to This Weekend.

There are several stand out tracks on this disc, but one in particular - The Story - is incredible. Possibly the best song MxPx has ever composed, it will give you goosebumps. The lyrics are powerful, Tom's guitar work is fast and hard, and Mike's vocals are very passionate - something that was also missing from BEA.

It is good to see MxPx going back to that harder sound that they were known for back in their Tooth & Nail days.
This album is better than even Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo, and is giving Life In General a run for its money as the greatest MxPx album ever.

MxPx is an amazing band. They have been together for about 13 years now and are still putting out new, amazing CD's. They started to get softer with Before, Everything, and After but Panic is like their older albums.

Panic is like a combination of all of their other albums sounds. It has the harder songs that sound like Pokinatcha and Teenage Politics but still some softer ones that sound like Before, Everything, and After. They have softer, love songs like Wrecking Hotel Rooms, which has Mark Hoppus as background vocals, and they have harder songs like The Story or Get Me Out.

My favorite songs on Panic are Emotional Anarchist and Kicking and Screaming. I think that this is one of MxPx's best albums yet and hope they keep making albums like this.