Review

Motion City Soundtrack's new release is everything a good non-hardcore CD should be. Catchy, melodic and better than the original!! While the 2003 release of I Am the Movie took a long time to take off, the band has exploded since the beginning of 2005 and for good reason—this CD rocks. Commit This to Memory is what a good sophomore release should be by a band that built upon their offbeat emo-keyboard sound and added maturity and experience that they obviously gained from their relentless touring schedule.

For those who live under a rock and don't know what Motion City Soundtrack are about, the band is a semi-emo band with a bit of electronic keyboard added in for an Air-esque sound. Around the office we refer to this type of genre as semo or skaemo (ska + emo = skaemo). At times, they have great lyrics as seen in “Hangman,” one of the better tracks:

Fed up with "I made you look" / And dirty crooks without a clue / You're here to save face / And I say, ‘Hangman, I'm onto you’

With a singer that is instantly recognizable, their image need not change so the band has mastered the ability to write a catchy and melodic song that doesn't scream of some three-cord radio edit piece of crap. Their songs are actually the polar opposite of that stigma because their music is best enjoyed alone or while driving.

The whole CD is solid and it's easy to see Mark Hoppus's (Blink 182) influence on the flow of their new songs. Some slide towards the influences of Blink 182’s mediocrity but with Tom Lord-Alge and Mark Trombino assisting the mix only some tracks like “Hold Me Down” prove that even punk rock geniuses can't polish a piece of shit.

Yet there are also a bunch of great tracks. "Everything Is Alright," "Time Turn Fragile" and "Better Open the Door" stick out as those catchy melodic songs that you hit the repeat button. For those who already have heard the genius of the album most would agree that "Attractive Today" is the best track on the disc, regardless of its short stature at only a minute and a half.

To put it simply, this band is showing great promise in a year that's turning out to be lackluster for new releases. If you have even a hint of interest, go check them out. Fashion feelings be dammed this is probably one of the five best albums of the year and definitely worth a look.

Review by Harry Awdey

4 out of 5