Album Review: Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life

In my 2010 preview I predicted Motion City Soundtrack's major label debut and the band's fourth full-length would be rockier and darker. Within seconds of opener 'Worker Bee', I am quickly proved wrong as, the bands upbeat pop-punk is cleaner and brighter then ever before. Although the band have abandoned the synth-heavy side of their earlier work, 'My Dinosaur Life' quickly establishes itself as a catchy record, one which is dominated by infectious guitar riffs and strong vocals.

Justin Pierre's clever way with words shine throughout, as his voices compliments the bands new, more approachable sound that at times sounds cleaner (see 'A Lifeless Ordinary (Need A Little Help)'), although the band have retained their pop-like sensibilities with recent single, 'Her Words Destroyed My Planet' being a fine example of this.

Musically the band have progressed and subtly became more complex, with tracks like 'Disappear' and the Alkaline Trio-like 'Delirium', showing a band who are willing to challenge themselves. Whereas closing track, 'The Weakends' is led by Joshua Cain's guitar work, which along with 'Disappear' shows the band's previous synth-led powerpop, is a thing of the past, as this a refreshed Motion City Soundtrack with a message, but at the same time they keep it fun.

The heart and soul of this record are the hooky choruses, something that is spread throughout, which when they are combined with Pierre's quirky lyrics, they become irresistible and the record as a whole, is somewhat consistent. However tracks like 'Stand Too Close' and 'Pulp Fiction' do lean towards more being classed as filler tracks, they still fit the overall vibe if the album.

If you're a fan of strong, catchy songs with good melodies with a hint of quirkiness, then 'My Dinosaur Life' will be on repeat for awhile. For those who are unfamiliar with the bands previous work, its worth giving a try, although this isn't the bands best work, its definitely an improvement from their last album ('Even If It Kills Me') and on the whole, a step forward in the right direction.

4/5

'My Dinosaur Life' by Motion City Soundtrack is available now on Columbia.

Sean Reid