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This is the debut album from
Minneapolis quintet Motion City Soundtrack, and
in no-nonsense style it packs 14 tracks into
43 frenetic minutes, which is just the way it should
be. The band's rise to the Epitaph roster has
surprised even themselves, as guitarist Jason Pierre
previously compared them to a second rate Jimmy Eat
World. Refreshing honesty!
It is immediately apparent
that these boys have a talent for melodic songs, catchy
hooks, spiky lyrics and an untampered sound, similar
in many ways to Green Day, or, in weaker moments,
resembling Three Colours Red.
Pierre sometimes comes across as a young James Dean
Bradfield in vocal colour, bearing a stronger top
register which gets overused in The Future Freaks Me
Out. For me this is the least effective song on the
album, with lyrics on Will and Grace clumsily coupled
with drum and bass.
That said, when the boys fully
rock out they're well worth hearing. Forthcoming
single My Favorite Accident has a central hook of
"skin, skin, please let me in" that lends the song a
strong punchline, and the "call me back tomorrow"
refrain of Capital H provides a strong foil for the
relatively geeky verse. Tony Thaxton drums a treat on
Red Dress, one of many highpoints where musicianship
is concerned.
My main criticism of Motion City
Soundtrack is that they're too one-dimensional, although it's worth pointing out that
only four songs on the album were penned by the
current line-up. The occasional forays into college-boy punk don't help their cause; a raw sound is much more
appropriate for the band. They are at their most effective when
backing vocals are employed, with closing track A-OK
given greater depth and even the coda of The Future
Freaks Me Out almost rescuing what went before.
So, if like me, you'd not been
aware of Motion City Soundtrack up until now, rest
assured that, if you like your Hundred Reasons,
Green Day or even Queens Of The Stone Age, this
band could tickle your fancy. Expect them to improve
further on the second album, which has apparently
already been recorded.
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