MxPx - Let's Rock

Genre rock Publisher Side One Dummy External Links Official MxPx Website Official Side One Dummy Records Website

For an album titled Let's Rock, MxPx's latest release is rather misleading. Sure, the first three songs deliver the typical kinds of music MxPx fans have come to expect, but the album rather quickly makes an about-face and segues into slower songs that simply don't live up to the title. They aren't bad, but they don't exactly rock, and therefore some listeners might not be getting what they expected. The songs are technically new, having never been recorded before, but they are essentially cast-offs from recording sessions dating back to 2000. Some listeners may feel that a few of the songs would have been better off on the cutting room floor.

"1 And 3" is one of the best songs on the album and fits more with typical MxPx fare. Speedy punk guitar riffs and a semi-political message are what most listeners have come to expect from the band and it is this kind of combination that MxPx excels. The punk sound is tempered by good melodies and tight vocal harmonies on the chorus. The political message is there but not so blatant as to turn casual listeners off. MxPx should accept the fact that this is the kind of song that they're best at and veer away from some of the other experiments they made on this album.

"Don't Forget Me (When You're Gone)" is one such example. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with the song, but it just isn't MxPx at their best. The song leans more towards being a ballad although the band attempts to keep it from becoming too sappy by including some slightly harder guitarwork on the chorus. Lead singer Mike Hererra's voice is suited to this kind of song, but it slows down the momentum of the album and is just hard to take seriously when the band is quite good at the faster, harder punk-based material.

"Where Did You Go" is another example of how Let's Rock just doesn't live up to expectations. Another ballad of sorts, the song begins with an introduction that will make listeners think of cheesy slow songs at high school dances. As with "Don't Forget Me," the song itself isn't all that bad in and of itself, but it definitely doesn't fit with the title.

MxPx rounds out the twelve track album with three acoustic songs, which will likely clash with fans expectations. Out of the entire album, almost half the songs are slower and don't fit the punk persona MxPx has developed over the years. If listeners are fine with that, they will probably enjoy the album, but if one goes in with an idea (and it isn't necessarily an unreasonable expectation) that this album will rock, they'll be sorely disappointed.