Music Monday: Motion City Soundtrack
Hello again! Before I get started with this week's Music Monday, I have a question for you all:
Poll
Thank you very much for helping me with my inability to make a decision! Now, on to the actual point of this post. Today we are going to be talking about five guys collectively known as
Left to right: Tony Thaxton (drums, percussion), Matt Taylor (bass, keys), Justin Pierre (vocals, guitar), Josh Cain (guitar), Jesse Johnson (Moog synthesizer, keys).
A Maybe-Not-So-Brief History:
Justin and Josh were both originally from other bands; they first formed MCS in 1997. The band started out as a four-piece and switched between four and five members as they went through a whole slew of short-lived drummers, bassists, guitarists, and Moog players. Moog-ists? DUDES WHO PLAY A MOOG. In the midst of all this confusion, they released two EPs, Kids for America in mid-2000 and Back to the Beat some time later. MCS's current and final lineup started to come together when Tony and Matt were imported from Virginia in 2002; Matt was reluctant to move all the way out to Minnesota and didn't join until several months after Tony (who actually also took some convincing before he finally joined in late January '02), but he came around eventually. Jesse was recruited last (Josh found him while they were working at a pizza place together) and, in a very Mikey Way-ish move, learned how to play a Moog in three weeks before MCS recorded their first full-length album, the original version of I Am the Movie, self-released in mid-2002. They signed with Epitaph Records not long after and re-released IATM with a different track listing in June 2003. Their second album, Commit This to Memory, was released June 7, 2005, and followed by a deluxe edition with a bonus track and a live footage/documentary/music video DVD. Josh married Jill Lipski, his girlfriend of ten years, on September 8, 2007, just ten days before the release of their third and most recent album, Even if It Kills Me. In June 2008, Justin and Josh announced that MCS would be switching labels from Epitaph to Columbia.
Bandom Connections!:
-Justin does guest vocals on Fall Out Boy's "Chicago Is So Two Years Ago". Patrick returns the favor with guest vocals on MCS's "Everything Is Alright".
-FOB thank MCS in the liner notes for Take This to Your Grave. MCS thank FOB, and Patrick by name, in the liner notes for Commit This to Memory.
-Also of note in CTTM's thank yous are Jac Vanek, James Dewees, The Get Up Kids, Reggie and the Full Effect, Brand New, and Taking Back Sunday. Jac and Ryan Ross dated briefly; James is currently My Chem's touring keyboardist (you can just baaaarely see him allllll the way in the back) and potential sixth member; TGUK and RATFE are, respectively, one of James's previous bands and his solo project; and of course there's the Long Island dramarama with Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, and Straylight Run.
-Mark Hoppus, who produced Commit This to Memory and did guest vocals on "Hangman", has frequently been spotted hanging out with bandom boys. His and Travis Barker's post-blink-182 band, +44, has toured with Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is..., and Cobra Starship.
-Justin and Josh produced Metro Station's songs "Kelsey" and "Seventeen Forever".
-On March 15, 2008, Patrick talked on his blog about shooting a scene for Justin's latest short film (Justin's quite the independent film maker).
-MCS have toured with Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, the Hush Sound, and Metro Station.
Finally, The Music:
I only own MCS's label-released albums and not Kids for America or Back to the Beat, so if anyone wants to share tracks from/talk about those albums in the comments, I'd love to hear it. :)
ETA: I now do possess Kids for America and Back to the Beat! They are verrrry rough, as is to be expected. Justin's voice has matured and gotten so much better through the years, it's really fascinating. I'm listening to these for the first time, and his voice keeps cracking. Also, the spontaneous drum solos are kind of hilarious. I got the EPs from here, if anyone else wants them. There're other rarities on the page, too.
I Am the Movie:
-I'm not going to lie, this is kind of an odd album if you listen to it straight through. For the most part, it's pretty rough. It sounds like it was made by a band that hasn't been together for too long, which it was, and that's okay! It's still a very good album. But then songs like "The Future Freaks Me Out", "My Favorite Accident", and "Modern Chemistry" pop up all pretty and polished in the midst of all the edges where the other songs don't quite meet, and you realize, oh. These guys could go somewhere. The production is kind of crap and MCS haven't quite gotten it all the way together yet, but they are definitely well on the road to forming a cohesive sound.
-Selected tracks:
3. "The Future Freaks Me Out"
6. "Perfect Teeth"
9. "Modern Chemistry"
13. "Autographs & Apologies"
Commit This to Memory:
-From the get-go, CTTM sounds cleaner than IATM. Gone are the fuzzy guitars, the comparatively low-volume vocals. Jesse's been playing the Moog for a lot longer, so he gets more complex melodies, a little more of the spotlight. There are a lot more songs about drugs and medication on this album (Justin writes the lyrics, and he'd had a problem with substance abuse for years before finally going to rehab during the recording of their third album). Justin's a master at self-deprecation, at taking humorous jabs at himself about things that really aren't funny, are in fact kind of worrying. But he's excellent at making light of his problems, so it can be hard to really realize how messed-up some of his lyrics are at first listen. IATM, in large part, told stories and complained about the world at large or people in general; CTTM narrows its focus a little more to Justin himself.
-Selected tracks:
2. "Everything Is Alright" (this is the one with Patrick)
8. "L.G.F.U.A.D."
9. "Better Open the Door"
12. "Hold Me Down"
Even if It Kills Me:
-This is the album Justin wrote while he was coming to terms with his substance problems, and it shows. There are still some songs that are self-deprecating to a fault and there are some songs that are confused, but there are also some songs that are hopeful and even a love song that's not about pining for a failed relationship. However, this is also the most baffling of MCS's records. Musically, the songs are for the most part upbeat, at times even manic. Lyrically, though, they're all over the place. There's the aforementioned love song, but then there's also a track called "Broken Heart". Justin seems unable to decide whether or not his newfound happiness (or, at least, not-unhappiness) is going to last, and it makes for the most diverse catalogue of songs, both musically and lyrically, MCS have managed to put together yet.
-Selected tracks:
2. "This Is for Real"
8. "Broken Heart"
9. "Hello Helicopter"
13. "Even if It Kills Me"
Download all the music in this post.
Download individual songs.
Please vote for next week's topic because I am horribly indecisive, and I'll see you then!
Poll
Thank you very much for helping me with my inability to make a decision! Now, on to the actual point of this post. Today we are going to be talking about five guys collectively known as
Left to right: Tony Thaxton (drums, percussion), Matt Taylor (bass, keys), Justin Pierre (vocals, guitar), Josh Cain (guitar), Jesse Johnson (Moog synthesizer, keys).
A Maybe-Not-So-Brief History:
Justin and Josh were both originally from other bands; they first formed MCS in 1997. The band started out as a four-piece and switched between four and five members as they went through a whole slew of short-lived drummers, bassists, guitarists, and Moog players. Moog-ists? DUDES WHO PLAY A MOOG. In the midst of all this confusion, they released two EPs, Kids for America in mid-2000 and Back to the Beat some time later. MCS's current and final lineup started to come together when Tony and Matt were imported from Virginia in 2002; Matt was reluctant to move all the way out to Minnesota and didn't join until several months after Tony (who actually also took some convincing before he finally joined in late January '02), but he came around eventually. Jesse was recruited last (Josh found him while they were working at a pizza place together) and, in a very Mikey Way-ish move, learned how to play a Moog in three weeks before MCS recorded their first full-length album, the original version of I Am the Movie, self-released in mid-2002. They signed with Epitaph Records not long after and re-released IATM with a different track listing in June 2003. Their second album, Commit This to Memory, was released June 7, 2005, and followed by a deluxe edition with a bonus track and a live footage/documentary/music video DVD. Josh married Jill Lipski, his girlfriend of ten years, on September 8, 2007, just ten days before the release of their third and most recent album, Even if It Kills Me. In June 2008, Justin and Josh announced that MCS would be switching labels from Epitaph to Columbia.
Bandom Connections!:
-Justin does guest vocals on Fall Out Boy's "Chicago Is So Two Years Ago". Patrick returns the favor with guest vocals on MCS's "Everything Is Alright".
-FOB thank MCS in the liner notes for Take This to Your Grave. MCS thank FOB, and Patrick by name, in the liner notes for Commit This to Memory.
-Also of note in CTTM's thank yous are Jac Vanek, James Dewees, The Get Up Kids, Reggie and the Full Effect, Brand New, and Taking Back Sunday. Jac and Ryan Ross dated briefly; James is currently My Chem's touring keyboardist (you can just baaaarely see him allllll the way in the back) and potential sixth member; TGUK and RATFE are, respectively, one of James's previous bands and his solo project; and of course there's the Long Island dramarama with Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, and Straylight Run.
-Mark Hoppus, who produced Commit This to Memory and did guest vocals on "Hangman", has frequently been spotted hanging out with bandom boys. His and Travis Barker's post-blink-182 band, +44, has toured with Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is..., and Cobra Starship.
-Justin and Josh produced Metro Station's songs "Kelsey" and "Seventeen Forever".
-On March 15, 2008, Patrick talked on his blog about shooting a scene for Justin's latest short film (Justin's quite the independent film maker).
-MCS have toured with Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, the Hush Sound, and Metro Station.
Finally, The Music:
I only own MCS's label-released albums and not Kids for America or Back to the Beat, so if anyone wants to share tracks from/talk about those albums in the comments, I'd love to hear it. :)
ETA: I now do possess Kids for America and Back to the Beat! They are verrrry rough, as is to be expected. Justin's voice has matured and gotten so much better through the years, it's really fascinating. I'm listening to these for the first time, and his voice keeps cracking. Also, the spontaneous drum solos are kind of hilarious. I got the EPs from here, if anyone else wants them. There're other rarities on the page, too.
I Am the Movie:
-I'm not going to lie, this is kind of an odd album if you listen to it straight through. For the most part, it's pretty rough. It sounds like it was made by a band that hasn't been together for too long, which it was, and that's okay! It's still a very good album. But then songs like "The Future Freaks Me Out", "My Favorite Accident", and "Modern Chemistry" pop up all pretty and polished in the midst of all the edges where the other songs don't quite meet, and you realize, oh. These guys could go somewhere. The production is kind of crap and MCS haven't quite gotten it all the way together yet, but they are definitely well on the road to forming a cohesive sound.
-Selected tracks:
3. "The Future Freaks Me Out"
6. "Perfect Teeth"
9. "Modern Chemistry"
13. "Autographs & Apologies"
Commit This to Memory:
-From the get-go, CTTM sounds cleaner than IATM. Gone are the fuzzy guitars, the comparatively low-volume vocals. Jesse's been playing the Moog for a lot longer, so he gets more complex melodies, a little more of the spotlight. There are a lot more songs about drugs and medication on this album (Justin writes the lyrics, and he'd had a problem with substance abuse for years before finally going to rehab during the recording of their third album). Justin's a master at self-deprecation, at taking humorous jabs at himself about things that really aren't funny, are in fact kind of worrying. But he's excellent at making light of his problems, so it can be hard to really realize how messed-up some of his lyrics are at first listen. IATM, in large part, told stories and complained about the world at large or people in general; CTTM narrows its focus a little more to Justin himself.
-Selected tracks:
2. "Everything Is Alright" (this is the one with Patrick)
8. "L.G.F.U.A.D."
9. "Better Open the Door"
12. "Hold Me Down"
Even if It Kills Me:
-This is the album Justin wrote while he was coming to terms with his substance problems, and it shows. There are still some songs that are self-deprecating to a fault and there are some songs that are confused, but there are also some songs that are hopeful and even a love song that's not about pining for a failed relationship. However, this is also the most baffling of MCS's records. Musically, the songs are for the most part upbeat, at times even manic. Lyrically, though, they're all over the place. There's the aforementioned love song, but then there's also a track called "Broken Heart". Justin seems unable to decide whether or not his newfound happiness (or, at least, not-unhappiness) is going to last, and it makes for the most diverse catalogue of songs, both musically and lyrically, MCS have managed to put together yet.
-Selected tracks:
2. "This Is for Real"
8. "Broken Heart"
9. "Hello Helicopter"
13. "Even if It Kills Me"
Download all the music in this post.
Download individual songs.
Please vote for next week's topic because I am horribly indecisive, and I'll see you then!