12 by Motion City Soundtrack

Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...

Formed in Minneapolis in the early '00s, Motion City Soundtrack are defined by a caffeinated, keyboard-driven pop punk sound and the funny-but-confessional lyrics of lead singer Justin Courtney Pierre, a combination that made them one of the defining bands of emo's second (or is it third?) wave.

Because the lyrics are so important to the band's appeal, I'll share a favorite line from each tune.

(And if you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along here.)

1. "The Future Freaks Me Out" (from I Am the Movie, 2003)

"We waste away the days with nicotine and television samples / Of an era we hate to admit we embrace"

2. "Attractive Today" (from Commit This to Memory, 2005)

"And as I gently sip this drink, / I think about my lack of future, / And of all the places I could learn to fall in love"

3. "Make Out Kids" (from Commit This to Memory, 2005)

"Armed with a plethora of insecurities, we keep each other amused"

4. "Time Turned Fragile" (from Commit This to Memory, 2005)

"How it got so cold the words just froze / We had to wait 'til summer to find out what was said"

5. "This Is For Real" (from Even If It Kills Me, 2007)

"You smoked the demons, gave me back my feelings / Now I am good to go!"

6. "Where I Belong" (from Even If It Kills Me, 2007)

"This is where I run out of words / That describe how I'm so damn hurt"

7. "Even If It Kills Me" (from Even If It Kills Me, 2007)

"I wonder if I'll ever lose my mind / I tried hard for awhile / But then I kinda gave up"

8. "A Lifeless Ordinary (Need a Little Help)" (from My Dinosaur Life, 2010)

"I always knew I had the answer / But I never understood the question"

9. "Skin and Bones" (from My Dinosaur Life, 2010)

"Will we be alright left alone tonight?"

10. "The Coma Kid" (from Go, 2012)

"Always trying to illuminate the past / Questions answered, but the insight never lasts"

11. "Timelines" (from Go, 2012)

"Do you ever wonder how you got to here?"

12. "I Can Feel You" (from Panic Stations, 2015)

"All this time I've wasted / Waiting for the world to end"

Comments

REO Speedwagon: R.E.O. Speedwagon (1971)

REO Speedwagon got its start in the late 1960s on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. The band grew out of a friendship between a students Neal Doughty (piano/keyboard) and Alan Gratzer (drums). Joining up with a couple of other musicians, they took the name R.E.O. Speedwagon. It wasn't long before they started getting gigs at parties and bars, doing covers of the hits of the day. The band cycled through several players in its first three years, with Gratzer and Doughty as the only constants. One-by-one they added the members that would form the first "official" lineup: singer Terry Luttrell in early 1968, bassist Gregg Philbin later that summer, and guitarist Gary Richrath at the end of 1970. Richrath was a native of Peoria, 90 miles northwest of Champaign, and had essentially stalked the band until they let him join. It was a good move, as he not only an accomplished guitarist, but also a songwriter. With Richrath the band ascended to the n...

Stuck, or Obsession Cessastion

You may have noticed that things have slowed down around here. I had the summer off from teaching, and I spent it with my 7 month-old son. I gave myself permission to make this blog less of a priority. Well, "less of a priority" is putting it lightly. Initially, I considered an abrupt retirement. But then I reconsidered. Maybe the proximity to Brett Favre is causing this. If you're a long time reader, this is probably not all that surprising to you. Since 2007, it has become an annual ritual for me to soul-search about my waning interest in music. First I blamed an inability to express myself and a lack of quality music . Then in 2008 I cited new technology and the death of the album . Last year I wrote about how my changing life priorities hindered my ability to seek out new music. I've done a lot of thinking about it this summer and in truth I believe this was all just dancing around the issue, a slow realization of something I didn't want to admit to myse...

Billy Joel: Greatest Hits, Volumes I and II (1985)

As you may know, I'm something of a connoisseur of compilations. I have three guidelines that I like my greatest hits to follow, though I am open to these rules being disregarded in certain cases. It's not an exact science. Billy Joel's 1985 Greatest Hits Volumes I and II (an odd title for a set that was never sold separately) is proof of that. It mostly follows the rules. The songs are in chronological order. There are no remixes, just a couple of single edits; there are two live songs, but those were actually were the versions that charted. And there are two new songs - we'll get to them eventually - but both ended up in the Top 40, so in retrospect that was a good decision. My mom bought the double LP when it came out and then dubbed it to a tape that lived in her car for at least three years. It and An Innocent Man were part of the soundtrack of the second half of my first decade of life. So I have a hard time criticizing something so ingrained in my consciousne...

3 Minutes, 49 Seconds

Search This Blog