Customer Reviews

My Dinosaur Life (Clean)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As Motion City Soundtrack is probably my favorite band of the last five years it is very hard for me to write this review, but I do so in the hopes that the band reads these reviews and might take heed of one DEVOTED fan's heartfelt plea.

The beauty of MCS - what sets them apart from so many more simple bands that occupy a similar genre - is their INTRICACY. Going well beyond the guitar-and-vocals-backed-up-by-a rhythm-section formula of rock and roll, the band (in the past) has created finely-detailed aural creations where every instrument doesn't just back up the others but rather AUGMENTS them (and even the drums sketch intricate lines)...so what you get is a sort of sonic feast where you can listen to a song over and over again savoring the nuanced mechanics of so many elements doing so many different things at once, yet all making the whole greater than the sum of the parts.

Now - and I can't stress this too strongly - this effect is best exemplified by MCS's keyboard element, which adds not merely another layer of sound, but a whole additional DIMENSION of sound to their songs (while at the same time giving them a unique and welcome signature.) I say all this to point out that, if you remove this whole other dimension, what you have is quite simply a set of songs that are LACKING A WHOLE DIMENSION--sounding in the end less intricate, less full, and less intense. Put another way, Motion City Soundtrack was made to be a loaded sundae, not very good scoop of vanilla.

My fear is that somewhere along the line the band bought into the notion that their keyboards, their gear-shifting refrains, and all their little nuances made them less punk in attitude or seriousness. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am a dyed-in-the-wool devotee of punk essentialism (and all varieties of *up-tight* rock and roll energy), and have lamented many times after a band lost their edge or succumbed to over-production. And while "Even if it Kills Me" is a little prettier than "I Am the Movie" it was BY NO MEANS any sort of shark-jumping album. Yes - "I Am the Movie" was a little more raw, but it was filled with wonderful flourishes and keyboards; and - Yes - "Even if it Kills Me" was more polished and poppy, but it was still filled with Motion City Soundtrack's heartfelt agita and speed. Just listen to "Fell in Love Without You." This was what I was expecting when heard Mark Hoppus was back producing - NOT a stripped down version of a band whose strength lies precisely in all their accessories!

So, gentlemen, if your listening - for your next album bring back the lost dimensions, "throw it all" in every song, and don't be afraid of polish...it's what you do. (And I'll be there waiting.)

They've turned up the guitars and let them rip. Motion City Soundtrack work the best elements of pop-punk (think Blink-182, whose Mark Hoppus produces) and hyper-powered emo (think Fall Out Boy at their accelerated best) for "My Dinosaur Life." It's adolescent rock with punky snottiness mixed in with the catchy melodies and flippant attitude, all while poking fun at the whole genre.

After all, what band would openly cop to 'watching Veronica Mars again' while waiting up for their girlfriend without the credibility swirling the drain? Or claim that they should be better respected because of their good behavior, which they do on the opening track "Worker Bee"? But then they blow that opportunity sky-high with the musically hysterical "@!#?@!" where they go to the falsettos when they sing the Mother F-er chorus. It's a good joke and doesn't wear thin after repeated listens (as does the wretched "F-You" by Cee-lo).

Despite the humor, these are terse songs about relationships. Motion City Soundtrack pump enough energy into "Disappear," "Her Words Destroyed My Planet" or "History Lesson" (the obvious single) to cover the bitterness, and even when a savage lyric that describes a failed relationship as being

"Like a slasher film,
I'm torn in all directions,
the plot sucks
but the killings are gorgeous"

you can't help but smile. "My Dinosaur Life" is one of my faves for the year.

I sought out the uncensored version of this album after getting burned in the past. The number of swears that would be masked would make this album virtually unusable. It would be a mistake not to get the unedited version.

That being said, I greatly enjoyed the album and will be seeking more from Motion City Soundtrack.

With the emphasis on the Motion, Motion City Soundtrack once tried unsuccessfully to take the mantle of pop/rock from Blink-182. The pop was pretty good, but the rock kind of suffered. As a result, they now sound like a crazed Weezer after an all-night drug-binge. Mark Hoppus acts as band-wrangler this time, and the result is a pop/punk/rock tour de mayhem that brings down all musical minds like its cover depicts. And while they may still spend the first half of the album still trying to find themselves, as the cussing becomes more frequent, the quality also rises.

Highlights Include:
Her Words Destroyed My Planet
Delirium
Pulp Fiction
@!#?@!

Overall, MCS is improved in almost every way, lyrically, musically & in catchiness. And while I don't exactly see a mainstream hit here, all fans of the genre should be pretty pleased, and the band should gain a legion of fans here. It may not hit as high as in previous works, but it's still especially solid. So here's to more binges like My Dinosaur Life, I could get used to hangovers like this.

Real Score: 4.5

Note: Don't get the censored version of this album. MCS is a lot better at working curse words into their songs this time around, and the lyrics are certainly lost more if they're bleeped out. Especially "@!#?@!" which I imagine would sound like a lot of dead air. Trust me, you'd be missing out. Parts of the album get pretty dark for the kiddies anyways.

I have been listening to the album My Dinosaur Life - Motion City Soundtrack for a few weeks now and I really like it. It is growing on me, which is a good feeling.

I would recommend it.

I threw it in and started grooving to it right away. Still sounds like Motion City Soundtrack, but it's definite progression for them. It's not like buying another copy of the old albums.

I will keep it very short and simple. For those of you who feel that Even If It kills me is one of Motion City Soundtrack's better albums, please leave. Also, for those of you that feel that History Lesson is a horrible song, also leave. Although this album isn't amazing by any means, it is definitely solid. I admit I found myself a little disappointed by the lack of Moog, but the band has a right to experiment with their sound. I personally feel that this experiment didn't go horribly wrong.....All of you who gave this album very low ratings had a lot of ridiculous and off base claims. Go make your own music please, and ease up on the bitching.

I'll be the first to admit, Motion City isn't my favorite band. Up until now they've kept my attention enough to keep me coming back, but over all I consider them a sub-par band at best, and this is them at their best. While this is their fourth album, it's more accurate to approach this album as a sequel to Commit This to Memory for two reason. 1. Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 produces the album as he did with Commit this to Memory and it shows and 2. If you come prepared for another Commit This to Memory that's what you're going to get.
Also when approaching this album keep in mind that way back in 2004 Motion City Soundtrack & Matchbook Romance did a split long before this. After the split Matchbook Romance chose to adopt a darker sound(See their album Voices), while Motion City chose to continue on the pop-punk band wagon that was going on at the time(See Commit This to Memory). Motion City seems to want to try their hand at Matchbook's tactic from years earlier which produced "Disappear" "Hysteria" and "Delirium" with "Disappear" and "Delirium" being the highlights of the album. Although these darker songs do appear on the album don' be fooled, this is a pop-punk record. "Skin and Bones" and "Stand Too Close" could have been taken directly off of Commit this to Memory, and "A Lifeless Ordinary (Need a Little Help)" and "Her Words Destroyed My Planet" are decent songs, but in the end.
We need a change Motion City, you're very quickly losing relevance even in the pop-punk scene, and not progressing as a band is your ticket out. So in short Motion City's next album will either be their best, or their last. . .

It's awfully hard to think so little of this latest album when I think so highly of the band in general. Although "I Am the Movie" is impressive, it was 2005's Hoppus-produced "Commit this to Memory" that really made me fall in love with MCS. The magic, the diversity, the ambiance and the unity...pure gold. I say unity because even though "I Am the Movie" is truly remarkable, it's a collection of songs written and rolled out over a period of years 1998-2002 which makes it feel more like a b-sides compilation. "Commit This to Memory" holds together so well because it was written and recorded in a single stab, as the very best albums should be.

"Even If It Kills Me" surely contained a few missteps ("Hello Helicopter" would have been best replaced by the b-side "I'm Not Asking You to Leave," for example) It dragged in some places, but listen to it right after their previous effort and you can hear a clear progression in both performance and song writing.

So what went so wrong with "My Dinosaur Life"? I don't know...but after listening to the album repeatedly since it's release a few weeks ago, I grow more and more disappointed. "Worker Bee" is a predictable climb progression and is executed at about 2/3 of the speed that it should be (more like where "Attractive Today" is would have been best). "A Lifeless Ordinary" suffers from the same problem...a well written song that shuffles through a tempo that drags. And the hop-up soaring chorus is just embarrassing...makes me cringe every time.

"History Lesson" is perhaps the worst song Motion City Soundtrack has ever recorded. It smacks of a junior high acoustic campfire beach party--without the charming nostalgia you might associate with such a scene. And when the chorus jumps up a full key near the end...my god! Is this Winger? Night Ranger? Horrible. Just horrible. Its a shame because the guitar solo that rages through that section is fantastic. And the shout-outs? Leave them back at the high school gym lock-in.

The marketers are clever folks, which is why some of the best tunes on the album--"Her Words Destroyed My Planet" and "Disappear" were circulated late last fall to con you into buying the rest of it. When people compare this album to the raw energy and eclectic arrangements of MCS's debut, they're most likely thinking of these tracks. "Pulp Fiction" and "The Weakends" are also both standouts.

But the biggest single complaint I have--and other fans of the band should relate--is WHERE THE F IS THE SIGNATURE MOOG?!?! Oh sure, you can hear a taste of it on "@!#?@!" (although the falsetto vocal swearing is laughable and distracts), "Hysteria" and a few other tracks. But for the most part, it's been traded for light organ and upright piano chord plucks in the style of Panic at the Disco's first album. I can't even begin to say how DISAPPOINTING this is. It completely RUINED the album for me.

Motion City Soundtrack is NOTHING without the MOOG. It's the catchy power that made their sound so refreshing. Even on the tracks that feature it, Hoppus has buried it so deep into the mix that it's as if he's ashamed to put it up front where it belongs. Compare the mix and presence "Don't Call it a Comeback" or "Mary Without a Sound" or even "When You're Around" with the chorus of "Hysteria" and you'll see what I mean.

I waited since the day that "Even If it Kills Me" came out...for this. But I still bought "My Dinosaur Life" (it's a fan's plight) and I'm still excited to see them live yet again in a couple of weeks...I just hope they focus on the old stuff.

Skip this one and wait for them to hopefully redeem themselves from this poor effort in a few years' time.

Simply put, if 2010 has a better album in store than My Dinosaur Life, then it better be a damn great album. Literally a day ago I was saying that Even If It Kills me was my favorite MCS album; today I respectfully disagree.

This album has the potential to really pull the band out of the "emo/pop" bag it's been put in. They've always been more than that, and this album proves it. From the opening tune Worker Bee(which is easily the best opener for any MCS album yet), you can tell that it's a place that MCS has never been before, but it's still the same band. The album has high variation without veering off too much from its central sound. And easily one of the best things about this record is Mark Hoppus' excellent production. This shows that he can really be a top notch producer of this kind of sound, and while his production didn't stick out too much to me on Commit This to Memory, which he also produced, it definitely does here. I wouldn't mind if he spent more time producing bands if he makes his work as great sounding as this.

One thing that I have heard complaints about is the considerable lack of the moog synth which the band is known for using. Truthfully, I'm happy they gave it a rest, because it showed that the band is not a one trick pony, and like I said, they show true variation on this LP. If they laden every track with a moog it would get repeditive which, say, I Am The Movie almost (almost) was, and just show that the band is relying on it to make the tracks interesting. This album shows that they don't need to rely on it, because they straight up know how to WRITE good music. Always have.

The only possible gripe I could have with this is that it enters a semi-slump with @!#?@! and Hysteria, but it redeems itself tenfold with the final two tracks. I can't really think of any other complaints. It's just an incredibly endearing ride from beginning to end, and this looks to be my favorite new album for quite a while (along with Beach House's new LP, but that's entirely different music altogether). As the band says, "I'm through with the old school so let's commence the winning"