Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory
"Are you feeling fine?" Yes, I feel just fine
Give me a reason (I don't believe a word)
To end this discussion (Of anything I've heard)
To break with tradition (They tell me that it's not so hard)
To fold and divide (It's not so hard)
So let's not get carried (Away with everything)
Away with the process (From here to in-between)
Of elimination (The long goodbye)
I don't want to waste your time
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I have a friend who lives in Japan who I rarely see anymore. He was totally driven to move there and picked to go to Leeds University specifically because they have an exchange program with Waseda University in Tokyo. He speaks fluent Japanese, with a Japanese wife and a now Japanese family. I see him once a year if I’m lucky, and I am lucky because he makes all the effort he reasonably can to get over here.
As far as I know he only really loved one Motion City Soundtrack song- their enormo posi hit, Everything Is Alright. Off their appropriately titled album Commit This To Memory. But it was through him that I first heard the song, and discovered the band. He was never an Emo kid like me, more relaxed and omnivorous in his tastes. But he always liked that song. Whenever we’d swap iPods in art class in Art class I’d listen to it. The other week I sent him a clip of Motion City Soundtrack performing the song at the latest When We Were Young show, and we had a nice little moment.
It’s the main downside of having friends who are doing interesting things, moving around the world. Following their dreams. Your head is so happy for them, but your heart misses them, and hates the distance. Such is life.
I must remember to line up Everything Is Alright at karaoke the next time I see him in Tokyo.
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Motion City Soundtrack are the perfectly seasoned band. I think of music in a savoury – sweet spectrum. With savoury music being that which is unique, experimental and slightly antagonistic, Jets to Brazil. Sweet being straight-forward, populist and poppy, New Found Glory. Motion City Soundtrack hit a bullseye in the middle for these two styles for me. Their songs are pop, filled with melodic entry and hooks and they’ve written some of the catchiest, most recognisable smash hits of the era. Yet their eccentricity, tasteful use of synths, willingness to experiment, chop and change ideas and especially their lyrics have a propulsive nature which pushes them way beyond their peers. In fact way beyond any Pop Punk/Emo genre cliches at all. They just become great Alternative Rock music, orbiting outside fashions or fads.
Justin Pierre vs The World
Debut album I Am The Movie is probably my favouite of their releases. Chaotic and synth-filled, with yelping vocals and buzzing guitars. The album flails all over the place with electronic and vigour, while dealing out plenty of singalong hits in the form of The Future Freaks Me Out and My Favorite Accident. Motion City Soundtrack have a very clear lyrical focus from day 1, the mental and social trials and tribulations of frontman and main songwriter Justin Pierre. Pierre sings about what he knows best: anxiety attacks, procrastination, cultural confusion, pointless chores and endless messy relationships. I'm sick of the things I do when I'm nervous. Like cleaning the oven or checking my tires. Or counting the number of tiles in the ceiling...Head for the hills, the kitchen's on fire. Scott Pilgrim-core. The horizons are low, and interpersonal. In less able hands these kind of lyrics would be clunky, but Motion City make OCD ticks and waiting in line soar with a kind of everyday magic.
Gently to the end with me
Rowing at your side
Through Denver's cold and frozen eyes
I thought I saw
I thought I saw you standing there
I thought that you knew her
I thought that you cared
But what am I to do
At four in the morning
With her back against us all
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After their debut Motion City Soundtrack did what every smart band does- they wanted to hone and tighten their sound. They were already pretty Pop, but it was time to really shine it up. They turned to Mark Hoppus, bassist, vocalist and co-frontman of Blink-182 to produce their next record them. This was a finnessed move. Mark was a huge star in Pop Punk, and a genuine fan of the band. This was his first production credit, but at this point Blink were seasoned studio musicians and Mark was clearly eager to put his taste to good use. In many ways Mark performed the role for them that the legendary and sadly departed Jerry Finn did for Blink-182 when he Produced Enema of the State. Toning down the freneticism and honing songs into singles. Mark’s success at doing just that on Commit This to Memory was a foretaste of his frequent producer and collaborator credits in the following years.
While recording the album Justin Pierre also decided it was time to dry out. His alcohol abuse was pretty well known, and exposed bluntly in his lyrics. After a booze-filled run with the bands early EPs and first album he’d hit a crisis point and it was time to change course. Pierre moved in with Epitaph label owner and Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz, and started attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. By Justin’s own admission it would take him many years to truly conquer the bottle and achieve lasting sobriety, but he started his journey here. Justin being so open about it is also admirable, but then, this is a man who truly does wear his heart on his sleeve. Motion City were never bluffing for the camera, they really did fuck up and make mistakes in their lives. So when they sing about it in song they’re telling you the real deal, as an outlet and personal therapy. They heal and we can learn from their healing. That’s radical honesty right there.
One thing Motion City Soundtrack didn’t do with album number 2 was jump to a major label. They stayed on mini-major Epitaph, hugely influential and respected in Alternative music, but defiantly independent. This allowed the best of both worlds, allowing the band to continue to build genuine scene-creed, court a larger audience with input from Hoppus- but not have to bet their careers on it. They’re smart guys after all and the long-game paid off. Commit This To Memory peaked at Number 2 on the Independent Albums chart, produced their biggest single to date and led to tours with the rapidly rising Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco.
Motion City Soundtrack never truly broke through to widespread crossover success. Who cares. Their image was always low-key, casual attire, nerdcore aesthetics, goofy self-effacing. Good music videos but nothing television exploding. Their changing visual style is just a little patina to dress up each album and separate them out. After Commit This To Memory the band put out another album on Epitaph, Even If It Kills Me, then gave a major label album a go in 2010 with My Dinosaur Life, again reuniting with Hoppus. After a modest response to that album they then went back to Epitaph for their next two records Go and Panic Stations (both understated but very good) before breaking up in 2016. They never really got fucked over by the music biz, managed to gain the respect of almost the entire Scene and in This Is For Real, LG. FAUD and Her Words Destroyed My Planet continued to put out some of the most charming and eternal Emo-Pop in history. (Alongside a host of rich, deep album tracks that reward repeated listening to each album.)
Better yet, they’re back now! They reunited in 2019, tour and are working on album Number 7. Happy days and all upside.
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The older I get the more I appreciate Motion City Soundtrack. Their music has aged so gracefully alongside me. I have zero issue with bands who sing about High School, teenage problems or youthful romance. I don’t always need to be “seen” in the songs I enjoy. But at the same time, there’s something to be said for a band who really do get you as a confused adult. As someone in the here and now working a job, navigating dating and responsibilities, trying to get your shit together. Of feeling like you’re constantly in a beleaguered half-adult adolescence, not fitting in with the real world. Ruminating and processing. Sure, that can be a self-indulgent attitude, everyone has their little struggles and everyone is faking it to some extent. But that’s what music is for, to allow us these petty truths so we can process them, and show up for work the next morning feeling a little better. To melodically confront our self-defeating decisions and mistakes. Self-defeating mistakes being the most meaningful, almost most shameful ones, because they’re the easiest to do, but the hardest to accept the overcome. But that’s why Motion City Soundtrack get me, and I get them.
You said we were an accident
With accidents you'll never know what could have been
So we were an accident
You'll always be my favorite one