It's been a while since the Midwest has produced a band with the chops and mainstream appeal to take hold of the national scene, but with their unexpectedly successful sophomore release Commit This to Memory, Minneapolis natives Motion City Soundtrack proved they just might have what it takes.
On Even if it Kills Me, the quintet's highly anticipated third release for punk powerhouse Epitaph Records, the pop-punchers play it safe and stick to what they know best.
The album is no doubt a credit to its genre, and the smooth production contributions from Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys) and the iconic Ric Ocasek (The Cars) seamlessly fuse punk power chords with front man Justin Pierre's lovelorn lyrical musings.
But the album fails to make any huge leaps - even if it does demonstrate MCS' maturing style.
Straight out of the gate, Even if it Kills Me slaps the listener in the face with Fell in Love Without You,"" a track that employs raw punk guitar riffs, tied to the rhythm section by punctuated stops and starts and contrasted by a playful keyboard melody.
On ""This is for Real,"" MCS deliver the album's first of many anthems. Fueled by a simple walking bass line, what the track lacks in complexity Pierre more than makes up for in catchy melodies. While these tracks sound like they could have been ripped directly off Commit This to Memory, they are engaging and won't disappoint.
The album's standout tracks arrive later on when the band unexpectedly switches gears to the slower tempos of deeply personal songs like ""Last Night"" and the piano-driven ballad ""The Conversation."" This introspective style change wasn't an accident, and somewhere underneath bouncy guitar riffs and whimsical synth lines lies the dark past that gave this album special significance to Pierre.
He proudly professes this album is the first he's written completely sober, after battling drugs and alcohol for years - an explicit theme in songs like the album's title track, where Pierre calmly coos, ""I can say that I want to try / To get better and overcome each moment / In my own way.""
Upon reaching the first single, ""Broken Heart,"" MCS are back to their forte. Pierre swoons like he's trapped in a teen movie, while the guitars carry on with the grungy distortion and poppy chord progressions that become a defining quality of their sound.
Mixing it up yet again, the album moves into one of its strongest tracks, ""Hello Helicopter."" Pierre not only gets a chance to show off his range on this streamlined and smooth track, moving into more complicated harmonies, but with guest vocals from the Matches' Shawn Harris and Say Anything's Max Bemis, the song builds until a chorus of gang vocals gives it its cathartic release.
MCS fans will not be disappointed with Even if it Kills Me. The album is true to the band's fast-paced punk roots while remaining firmly anchored in catchy bubblegum pop melodies that just won't quit. No, the album does not produce anything remarkable - but it offers solid songs that are deceptively insightful and sure to get toes tapping.
