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Motion City Soundtrack in New York City

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Jun 27, 2016.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    I was lucky enough to attend and photograph the second New York City date of Motion City Soundtrack’s farewell tour at Gramercy Theater. You can find the full-gallery, along with some brief thoughts, below.

    I have written about Motion City Soundtrack’s importance to my life a number of times over the past few years. Most recently, on the eve of their farewell tour, I penned a letter to the band thanking them for that impact as well as summarizing their remarkable, if still somehow underrated career:


    They were the band that understood you through your own neurosis, your doubt, your self-loathing and your worst days, and provided you with a soundtrack to get through it. I don’t believe that a lot of those characteristics ever completely go away, and that ongoing battle is why I’ll keep coming back to their music, long after their farewell tour is done.
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    I still think a lot about how much Motion City Soundtrack has helped me with my struggles with self-confidence, my ability to heal from grief, and my weird neurosis, but mostly I try to think about how god damn happy their music makes me every time I listen to it.

    It could be the most dark, ominous song in their discography, like “Last Night” or “Broken Heart” or “Hold Me Down,” and I could still find a faint glimmer of hope in there. Or it could be the songs that specifically tell me to seek out that hope, like “The Weakends” (“I’ll kick tomorrow, fight back at the pouring rain.”) or “Even if It Kills Me” (“For the first time in a long time, I can say / That I want to try and get better / And overcome each moment in my own way.”)

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    And that’s ultimately what I took away from their farewell tour in New York City. It was a goodbye, certainly, but it never felt maudlin or cloyingly emotional. Instead, it felt like celebration: a joyous look back at the years that were and an acknowledgment that life that will keep going.

    The feeling was solidified before Motion City even took the stage, as SNL Cast Member Vanessa Bayer came out to introduce and do an impromptu, and hilarious in her own unique comedic style, roast of the band. “One day, maybe you’ll make the Motion City movie to go with the Motion City Soundtrack… I’m guessing it will have something to do with the fact that you guys have something to do with the Goonies.”

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    It was a fitting frame of reference for what would become a memorable night of music. As I noted in my last letter to the band, I’m not entirely convinced the farewell sticks forever. But if Motion City Soundtrack does decide go on a reunion tour someday, it’ll be because “Goonies never say die.”

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  2. parkerxcore

    Somebody's gonna miss us Supporter

    Caught their date in House of Blues, Anaheim. Seriously might've been my 15th time seeing them and it was still such a blast. I'm so bummed knowing these dudes won't be cruising through anytime soon : /
     
  3. alexbrew

    Just here for the comments

    Saw them for the LA date! Absolutely fantastic
     
  4. Jared Luttrell

    Regular

    Great write up, this band also held a really special place in my life as I'm sure they have for many people, It is sad to see them go but at the same time it makes me happy that it's something they've decided on their own in good will and there doesn't seem to be any drama or hard feelings, I agree with your sentiment that it feels more like a celebration and I wouldn't have it any other way. I would not mind at all if they came back down the road, even if for some reunion tours.
     
  5. parkerxcore

    Somebody's gonna miss us Supporter

    To be honest I'm a big fan of their new album. Sucks it didn't get a proper touring cycle.
     
  6. irthesteve

    formerly irthesteve Prestigious

    this seems like a lie
     
  7. thisisacting__

    Regular Supporter

    I need help from you MCS die-hards. I've only heard a few songs over the years. I'm really interested in diving into their discography. Where should I start? Is there a certain order I should go in?
     
  8. Craig Ismaili

    @tgscraig Prestigious

    Shameless plug here for a minute, but I made this a few weeks back. It's a 22 song playlist that incorporates basically all the eras of the band's music and includes some of my favorite songs from the band:

    The Ultimate Motion City Soundtrack Setlist • chorus.fm
     
  9. Cody

    itsgrocer.bandcamp.com Prestigious

    Commit This to Memory/Even if It Kills Me are often considered their two best records. I'd start there. Head back to the debut I Am the Movie if you're interested in a more rough around the edges, moog-heavy sound that still contains their trademark lyrical charm, standout drumming and pop sensibility. Head forward into My Dinosaur Life when they got a little punkier and subsequently unsure about what they were going for that record in a melodic sense, further into Go if you want them going essentially full power-pop (this record lowkey has a lot to love), and then finally into Panic Stations which is them settling down somewhat, making from a musical standpoint what is probably their most generic album to date, but still carving out 4-6 songs that qualify as 'great MCS tracks.' So basically their second and third albums are what are universally considered 'essentials' by the fanbase. The rest is up to you.
     
  10. Bartek T.

    D'oh! Prestigious

    Would love to see that. Thanks for two amazing photo sets, something ends, something else comes back, hopefully we'll hear from MCS in the future!