MxPx - Plans Within Plans
Rating
RIYL
DescendentsNo Use For A Name
Green Day
Rufio
Release Date
04/03/2012
Tracklist
1 "Aces Up"2 "Screw Loose"
3 "Nothing Left"
4 "The Times"
5 "In the Past"
6 "Best of Times"
7 "Stay On Your Feet"
8 "Lucky Guy"
9 "Far Away"
10 "Cast Down My Heart"
11 "When It Comes to You"
12 "Inside Out"
13 "Nothing's Gonna Change"
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Five years removed from their critically acclaimed comeback record Secret Weapon, MxPx faces much the same dilemma they did following 2000's The Ever Passing Moment. Once again the band has changed labels, leaving Tooth & Nail for the second time in a decade, and once again the band has flirted with maturity and changed their sound to go along with it. The only difference this time around is that the resulting album, Plans Within Plans, is actually good. Whereas 2003's Before Everything & After was a muddled and misguided mess of alternative punk rock that lacked hooks, Plans is a cohesive and enjoyable effort from a band who, after twenty years and countless shows, is no longer avoiding the fact that everyone has to grow up sometime.
Although Plans retains much of the vibrant spirit that made Secret Weapon such a treat, that spirit has been channeled into more mature and more age-appropriate songwriting. No longer is the band obsessed with writing songs about broken hearts and chasing girls (they stopped writing about Jesus with Life in General way back in 1996). Instead, they're writing about what they look forward to as they settle fully into adulthood while at the same time looking back at all of the good times they've had along the way (especially in "Best of Times"). They're also writing about the state of American life and the plight of the working man ("The Times"), learning to take risks and be strong ("Stay on Your Feet"), and being happy with who you are ("Lucky Guy"). The band has grown comfortably as songwriters and for once the lyrics they've come up with aren't embarrassingly naive and corny for the sake of being catchy, but rather thoughtful and insightful.
All in all, Plans Within Plans is still easily identifiable as an MxPx record, which makes it naturally enjoyable. The differences in tempo, style, and presentation are easily digestible because the people that have followed this band throughout most of their career are around the age where they've changed too. Most of us aren't the snotty punks we were as teenagers anymore and we haven't been for awhile--and while it took MxPx a little longer to mature than the rest of us, it's understandable and forgivable. Nobody wants to admit to themselves that the fun times are over, which is why we all have our immature moments. We have the band's older work to fall back on in times like those, but Plans is the age-appropriate soundtrack for the every day life of the working class. And you know what? It sounds surprisingly good.
--Timothy Golden
Comments
Lehigh Valley, PA
This album is freakin awesome. Pop Punk the way it should sound. That's why MXPX are one of the pioneers of the genre!
Minnesota
Yeah, I dig this album too. Been an MxPx fan since high school... which was forever ago. Such a great band. Glad they're still pumping out tunes.
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Lehigh Valley, PA
Hey man! I have an MxPx tattoo as well! hahaha Love them
Baton Rouge
Nice review. I'm also happy that they didn't try to act like they were sixteen again on this album, but that they still kept up the punk-tempo. I like this album, but I still can't decide how much I like it.
Boobs
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