Motion City Soundtrack‘s hop from indie-but-kinda-not behemoth Epitaph to Song BMG subsiduary Columbia follows relatively successful US chart positions with their last record “Even if it Kills Me”- which also saw their particular brand of marmite pop-punk end up in the background of a network TV show and a movie trailer or two.
In essence, ‘My Dinosaur Life’ is a natural progression from the records preceeding up to it, so it’s full of the all the sugary melodies and nerdy lyrical content that should be expected by now. Though overshadowed by the vocals at times, and perhaps a little more subtle than in previous efforts in favour of leaning on vocal hooks, the band’s clever instrumentation and arrangements are still present throughout, and are delivered with enviable confidence. There’s no earth shattering surprises on the record if you know the back catalogue, but if the band have tickled your fancy in the past, there’s absolutely no reason they can’t do the same again here. Though stylistic consistancy is admirable in a world of bands shedding sound and skin between records to ‘keep up’ with trends, it’s often a double edged sword, so it’s reassuring that the band have the songwriting skills to prevent stagnation in their cosy niche.
Mark Hoppus did wonders and got the best out of the band on sophomore effort ‘Commit This to Memory’ and his return between the desk on album four has made it a different and much slicker beast. Sometimes ‘sanding down the corners’ detracts from the point of the songs in the first place, but thankfully, Motion City Soundtrack are a band that sound better rather than diluted when the purse strings loosen. The first half of ‘My Dinosaur Life’ is the stronger, mostly down to the three songs that have appeared in the run up to release (‘A Lifeless Ordinary (Need a Little Help)’, ‘Her Words Destroyed My Planet’ and ‘Disappear’) being absolutely brilliant, but that’s not to say the second half really ends up tailing off.
There’s plenty here to please new and old fans alike, and it’s always refreshing to hear a record that keeps you thinking from start to finish. ‘My Dinosaur Life’ is the first pop-punk effort I’ve been happy looping around a few times without tiring of it in ages and it’s much recommended if you love a good vocal hook, clever lyrics and something upbeat that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Tom Aylott