We’ve really tried to understand the acclaim surrounding Motion City Soundtrack’s major-label debut. We’ve listened to the boasts about quality producers and mixers, the latter of whom worked with Nirvana and Sonic Youth, and the claims that this album shows the potential of “pop-punk.” Unfortunately, when it comes to the music, all we’ve heard is a potential soundtrack for the next American Pie movie which, by the way, is not a good thing. Instead of the catchy hooks, simple lyrics, and pockets of surprise that make solid pop music, My Dinosaur Life offers a study in predictability.
Let’s start with the major themes: heartbreak, existential angst, rebellion against the norm. Sure, many artists can do wonders with these ideas — but in the world of Motion City Soundtrack, lyrical depth amounts to sliding in words like “copasetic” or basing a song (“History Lesson”) around the phrase “goddamn history.” As for the band’s sound, cliches abound, whether it’s using a ballad-like breakdown two-thirds of the way into tracks (“A Lifeless Ordinary”), or beginning songs with a verse over a single riff (“Her Words Destroyed My Planet”) in a manner irritatingly derivative of bands like Blink-182 and Green Day.
The closest Motion City comes to success is a three-song set in Dinosaur’s second half, starting with “Stand Too Close” and ending with “@!#?@!.” In these tracks, the lead singer stops attempting to force a wide vocal range, and the music sounds less contrived. But, alas, the following tracks revert back. All in all, it’s just too much adolescent-sounding angst from a bunch of guys over 30. Maybe that’s what they meant by My Dinosaur Life.
