My Dinosaur Life is nuts. Clinically. With the lyrics of songs like “Hysteria,” and “Delirium,” and the horror-film style music video for the single “Disappear,” it’s hard not to wonder if Motion City Soundtrack has gone off the deep end. My Dinosaur Life, produced by Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, is the pop rock we love from MCS, but prepare for an album that’s a bit darker and a whole lot crazier than their previous releases (possibly due to drummer Tony Thaxton’s broken arm and long road to rehabilitation, not knowing when he’d be able to play and the coinciding pressure from making their first major-label [Columbia Records] release).
The album opens with a kindergarden-esque song “Worker Bee” in whose chorus, frontman Justin Pierre proclaims, “I’ve been a good little worker bee. I deserve a gold star.” Behind this elementary-school chorus, Pierre tells of a shitty year and demands, “I’m through with the old school so lets commence the winning.” Seems like a lot of us can relate to that about 2009.
After kicking off the album with an optimistic note, the band dives in to stories of self-doubt [“A Lifeless Ordinary (Need a Little Help)”], heartbreaks (“Her Words Destroyed My Planet”), prescription drugs (“Delirium”), and just being pissed off (“@!#?@!”). Tales of, presumably, their “fucked up” last year. Or maybe it’s just a year in the life of a dinosaur…
The single “Disappear” is a dark, heavy pop rock song backed by heavy drums and minor guitar keys. The lyrics seem to be the ramblings of self-deprecating loner, wrecked by some intangible “you” or maybe everyone as “you.” Justin Pierre cries, “I can disappear/ any time I want to, time I feel you/ shovel through my skin / I am with you till the end.” If you’re hoping to understand this song though the music video, good luck. It depicts a story of a bear-mask-wearing young girl at a lake house with her parents who spots a slime-faced man who chases the family, after which the girl walks away into the mist alone. Although a little puzzling lyrically, the song is catchy will be pulsing through your brain in no time.
Some of my personal favorites are “Stand Too Close,” “Pulp Fiction,” and the bonus track “So Long Farewell.” “Pulp Fiction” is probably the most similar to what you’re used to from Motion City Soundtrack while “Stand Too Close” is the mellowest on the album with some acoustic guitar and claps. “So Long Farewell” is a gorgeous track with falsetto harmonies and light acoustic guitar and drums.
My Dinosaur Life is crazy but grounded; it’s musically daring and emotionally provocative. If you’ve had a rough year, if sometimes you just feel nuts, or if you want to sing “You all need to go away, you muthafukkas!” at the top of your lungs, you’ll enjoy this album.
Rating: 
(4/5)
