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Posts Tagged ‘Motion City Soundtrack’

  1. Motion City Soundtrack’s My Dinosaur Life is NUTS

    February 12, 2010 by Steph

    Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life album coverMy 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…

    Motion City Soundtrack - Photo Courtesy of Blogs.BrowardPalmBeachThe 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)

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  2. Honda Civic Tour, Florida 2008

    April 10, 2008 by Brianna

    My First Honda Civic Tour

    Yes! Just like the title suggests. Last Night was my very first Honda Civic Tour and let me tell you, I absolutely loved it! The music was great, the performance was fantastic and the energy was amazing.


    First up was Phantom Planet. From the moment they hit the stage, they brought on a blast of energy and really rocked it out. Their set had me bouncing up and down and bobbing my head the entire time. Most of the songs they played were off their new album Raise the Dead including their new singles “Do the Panic” and “Dropped,” which were awesome. They even went out there and pulled a “summoning” move for all the World of Warcraft fans at the concert (my sister and I met some of the guys and she is really into WoW.  She told them that she was a level 30 mage…they thought that was awesome :D).  They ended their set with, of course, “California” (which got the ENTIRE crowd singing along).

    The Hush Sound then took to the stage busting out with one of their songs from their new album, Goodbye Blues. As they belted out an energetic rendition of “Medicine Man” everyone sang along. I had never seen them live before so just seeing them there and SO CLOSE was just amazing. As I listened to them perform, I was amazed to realize they sound like they do on their CDs. (I know it’s weird, but I think it’s rare to actually see it or hear it happen.) Their set had a little bit for everyone. They performed soulful slow songs like “Hurricane” and more energetic and spirited songs like “We Intertwined” and “Honey”. They ended their set with an enthusiastic roar from the crowd.

    Motion City Soundtrack was up next and the closer we got to the headliners, the louder the rumbles throughout the venue became. They came on and I have to say that they are seriously entertaining. They cracked jokes in between songs – I thought that was really cool. They performed songs from their recent release Even if It Kills Me (2007) and their older albums as well.  I am a fairly new fan of Motion City Soundtrack and am still learning more about them. They got the crowd singing along when they sang “The Future freaks me out”, “Let’s Get Fucked Up and Die”, and of course their most popular, “Everything is Alright”.  They got the crowd pumped up and ready to rock by the time they ended their set. Motion City Soundtrack then turned up on the third floor to take pictures and sign autographs like The Hush Sound did, but the line went all the way down to the second floor and I wasn’t about to lose my spot in the pit.  I wanted so badly to see them and do that stuff, but positive thinking and saying to myself “there’s always next time” convinced me to stay put.

    Finally, it was the moment we had all been waiting for…Panic at the Disco was about to take the stage. The band hadn’t even come out yet and the crowd was already going crazy! I have to admit, I was part of the crowd cheering and chanting “Panic” thinking that would get them on stage fasterJ .  When they finally approached the stage, the entire venue was screaming and just…it was pandemonium. They greeted the crowd and began singing “We’re So Starving” followed by “Nine in the Afternoon”, everyone singing along the entire time. I sang even louder when they began playing my absolute favorite song—the moment the beat for “Lying is the most fun a girl can have…” began to flood the speakers, I completely let loose and started going crazy. Why would one admit this you ask? I don’t quite know…the simple answer is to show you how into the music I was. At one point though, I did feel like it was dragging a bit.  I guess it was just the lack of explosive bass and pounding rhythm. The final song was fittingly, “Northern Downpour” which I thought was nicely performed. They then got off the stage. I didn’t stick around for the encore so I can’t tell you about that.

    All in all, I enjoyed the sets, the music and the general mood of it all.  The best part was that I was helping the environment (eco-friendly centered concert). Although there were certain parts that were a little dragging, if you like any of these bands I suggest you go. You’ll have a blast.

    *all photos taken from respective artists’ myspace pages

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