What makes the band Magnified Plaid/MxPx really cool is that they seem so incredibly unpretentious. While their frantic chord changes and haphazard time signatures often get them lumped in with neo-punkers like Green Day and Offspring (and whoever else is MTV's Flavor Of The Week), the lads in MxPx - who are much less MTV-conscious than their counterparts - seem mostly interested in just making Christian rock fun. Fans of their debut Pokinatcha will be glad to know MxPx still cranks these tunes out short and fast (the album has something like 20 tracks). However, those who found Pokinatcha to be better in theory than in practice will be glad to know there is a little polish on the songs this time - without varnishing off the garage band edge. In fact, there are serious moments on this album where the boys show off a bit - tight harmonies show up here, a brief, parenthetical jazz break pops up there - just to prove they can do it. And then, invariably, they pinch their collective noses and belly dive back into the adrenalic pop, fast, furious and raw. Lyrically, the album is just as refreshing: As high schoolers themselves, the members of MxPx easily capture the trials and triumphs of the teenage set, without resorting to the "youth leader" rhetoric that some of the older, dinosaur bands have been doing in Christian rock for years.
Other coverage for this album
Heaven's Metal #54Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernI've been jumping up and down frantically for two days now. It's not just because Doug bought me some chocolate covered espresso beans, or because I've had to go to the bathroom. I've had sort of an audio sugar rush. Every song on MxPx's Teenage Politics is very fast, very loud, and quite rollicking. The skateboard enthusiast will feel right at home with these sounds. This is no…