In 1996 MxPx released one of the best punk albums of the decade, in the shape of ‘Life in General’. If there was any justice in the world it would of made the three of them very rich indeed! All it did, however, was to slightly increase the established fan base of the group. Hence, in 1998 the band unleashed ‘Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo’ upon a largely apathetic public. However, those in the know realised that the album was something very special indeed. In fact, there are those who would argue it is the best record that the band has recorded. (Can you guess which school of thought I belong to?)
‘Slowly Going…’ isn’t a great leap forward for the band in musical terms. Rather it is a perfected receipe made up of all the best ingredients from previous albums. From the very first notes of ‘Under Lock and Key‘, and the first few lines of Mike Herrera’s distinctive vocals, you realise that this is MxPx honed to perfection. The sound the band have created is just right, an advancement on what has gone before, but not too clean, as was the case with 2000’s ‘The Ever Passing Moment’.
The album is full of well-crafted songs with thoughtful and meaningful lyrics. One of the best lyrical examples being ‘What’s Mine Is Yours’ which includes lines such as “The piece of paper that you’ve got says that you can get into my pocket, But you can’t get inside my heart or inside my headâ€. They may write the odd song about broken hearts but they don’t do it in the generic pop-punk fashion!
There are many highlights on the album, but I would pick out ‘I’m OK, You’re OK’, ‘Invitation To Understanding’ and ‘Party, My House, Be There’, as being particularly impressive tracks. The band also mixes things up a little by including a couple of aggressive straightforward punk rawk songs, in the shape of ‘Fist Vs Tact’ and ‘Get With It!’
If there is a criticism of the album it is that finishing with an instrumental track, in the shape of ‘The Theme Fiasco’, is probably not the best way to close such an impressive album. And if I’m going to be really bitchy, Mike and Tom have appalling haircuts on the band photograph!
‘Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo’ is the finest album that MxPx have produced to date, edging out ‘Life in General’ in a photo finish, and that is more than enough to ensure its place in the punktastic classic list. It is the album that cemented them as one of the best bands currently doing the rounds, and is one of those rare albums that you will go back to time and time again. Many people in this world may choose to ignore them, just make sure you’re not one of them!
Mark