The Renaissance EP marks a peculiar little interlude for pop-punkdom's fave Christian musicianaries. Are they still signed to a major? What's the deal with the deathly skull imprint on the cover and absence of the Pokinatcha mascot that looks like one of Popeye's nephews gone to a Good Charlotte show? And take a look at the bottom of the back cover. Yup, Mike, Tom, and Yuri have produced for themselves the nine tracks on this mini-album, and it sounds like they know their strengths. It's another festival of hooks, punky snappy crunch, and heartfelt Herreran vocals.
But, it may not be as consistent a package as, say, The Ever Passing Moment. "Party II (Time To Go)" sounds just a touch too obvious for guys who have shown so much soul and brains in the past. The concluding "Yuri Wakes Up Screaming" finds 'em having some fun with math-metal cerebrality, but it seems a bit like filler. Just watch — the kids will be clamoring for it next time the Magnified Plaid ones come in concert.
That still leaves seven tracks worthy of repeated listening. "The Opposite," "Lonesome Town," and "The Struggle" all sound like singles that should bump Blink 182 into the cut-out bin, and the last of those ought to allay any more of the "are they still Christian?" scuttlebutt that always seems to surround believers once folks outside the church world take a shine to them.
If you're still needing an introduction to MxPx, this may be as good a point as any to start, but long-time appreciaters will know the fellas have made a few more consistently listenable platters. But don't count them out yet. A couple missteps on an indie EP between full releases does not a dismissal make.
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Tom BastianWhat we have here is MxPx having fun. Forget having to put something out that a major label will like, or that the local commercial radio station will dig. MxPx has decided to release an album where they just have fun. The opening track to this EP, "Lonesome Town" sounds like something much like we would have expected to find on "The Ever Passing Moment", or "Slowly Going". A very poppy upbeat…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by ChrisThis EP was hyped both for its affiliation with NOFX's record label and because it's touted as MxPx getting back to their older sound. Mad props to Fat Wreck Chords for working with a band associated with the "Christian" music industry. For those of you who were looking forward to the old aggro MxPx, welcome to Disappointment Island. A whopping two out of the nine songs are anything like that…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Travis PersaudYet another album from MxPx takes the form of a nine song EP, which has had fans young and old waiting in anticipation for its official release. Throughout the years, MxPx's style has slowly changed and evolved from album to album, as their musical preferences have changed, as well as them changing as musicians and people. This slow evolution of their style has gained them a vast array of…Similar sounding releases
1998Ghoti HookSongs We Didn't Write
2002Ten Foot PoleBad Mother Trucker
2000Face ValueThere's Always the Radio
2004Enemy YouStories Never Told
2005SnuffSix of One, Half a Dozen of the Other
2001The UndecidedMore to SeeMore from MxPx
2003Before Everything & After
1999At the Show
2002Ten Years and Running
2005Panic
1995Teenage Politics
1998Let It Happen
