Motion City Soundtrack - My dinosaur life

I don't know why, but Motion City Soundtrack's fourth and major label debut album 'My dinosaur life' seems to do it for everyone but me. I tried very hard, though.

I'm confused about it. On paper, everything sounds perfect. Singer Justin Pierre makes an unmistakable vocal contribution, as always, his voice leading the band more than ever and his lyrics, close to Max Bemis's cynical and multi-referential (from Zelda to 'Veronica Mars') songwriting, remain one of the major interests of the five-piece. Pierre even went back to swearing in the songs, which I always thought fitted him very well. Other important success, all the instruments are shining on this record: bassist Matt Taylor enjoys Mark Hoppus's production to show off his skills on a new scale, the guitars are blasting on (sometimes unexpectedly) heavy parts ('Worker bee', 'Disppear' or the explicit '@!#?@!') and Tony Thaxton's drums have probably never been that precise (the closer 'The weakends'). Though, the synth, which used to be the band's trademark, is disturbingly quiet as keyboardist Jesse Johnson is only really put on the spotlight on 'Hysteria,' the single 'Her words destroyed my planet' and the pretty 'Pulp fiction' with its chorus reminding Eve 6's 'Inside out'. And it's not the only thing bothering me when listening to 'My dinosaur life'. Justin Pierre's singing, as great as it is, takes some unseemly paths at times, catching my attention away from the music, like on the weird verses of 'Disappear' or its strange pace on 'A lifeless ordinary (Need a little help)' and 'Hysteria' which I find annoying. With the maturation of their sound, they have also lost something in their way with melodies in my opinion, even if a lot of people would argue on this point. The chorus of a song like 'History lesson' sure is catchy but hardly enjoyable for me in the end and the one in 'The weakends' suffers from a lack of subtlety compared to its great verses. As a whole, 'My dinosaur life' can sound like a mix of the band's three previous album, but darker and taken to a higher level: the originality of 'I am the movie', the catchiness of 'Commit this to memory' and the pop sensibility of 'Even if it kills me'. But I have this hardly explainable sensation that something is missing.

Motion City Soundtrack fans, even those disappointed by the last album, really have to listen to this record and give it several chances as there's a big chance of them ending up satisfied with what the band have accomplished. Their new maturity is obvious, on every level, particularly on the noteworthy songwriting (though many will regret Pierre's angsty lyrics from back when he was not sober) and the brilliant musicianship and many will argue that 'My dinosaur life' is Motion City Soundtrack's best album. It will not come to join 'I am the movie' and 'Commit this to memory' on my shelves but it doesn't mean you should not check it out.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Say Anything, Weezer, Fall Out Boy
Check also:
Two Tongues, Single File, Weatherbox

www.myspace.com/motioncitysoundtrack
(Columbia, 2010)