12/17/2023 0 Comments Motion city soundtrack tour![]() ![]() Once again, Microwave topped their last performance that I saw, and showed their touring experience through their comfortable demeanor playing such a big show. ![]() “Work It Out” and “Thinking of you,” were two of my favorites from their set. Microwave moved around more on stage last night because they actually had the space to do so, unlike on the smaller stages I’ve seen them play in the past. In Portland, it’s very rare to see the first date of a tour, but it’s also nice because all the bands are so energetic. This was my fourth time seeing Microwave, and every time I see them they’re playing bigger and better tours and venues. Microwave is the youngest band on this leg of the tour which is cool because lead singer, Nathan Hardy, talked about how he’s loved Motion City Soundtrack since he was a kid. Microwave kicked off the first night of Motion City Soundtrack’s So Long, Farewell tour. Pierre was years ahead of his peers in his exploration of mental health, documenting his own struggles for the benefit of others.įifteen years later, Commit This To Memory is as pertinent as ever, cementing the record's place as an essential part of alternative rock's canon.Last night, I saw my first farewell show, and the vibes in the room weren’t nearly as sad as I anticipated. In Commit This To Memory's case, its moments of vulnerability, honesty and openness go some way to explaining why it resonated with so many young people in the first place. Nostalgia provides the brain with a "neurological loophole" which provides that potent rush of emotion when we reconnect with that music later in our lives. Sometimes we just straight-up lie to avoid having the conversation. We don’t always vocalise what’s happening inside our brains coherently, suggests Pierre, leading to us being misunderstood by the world. Lead single Everything Is Alright deals with OCD and the struggle with seeing a psychiatrist. It’s confronted most directly in the line that admits ' but I choose to abuse, for the time being, maybe I'll win, but for now I've decided to die'.īeyond addiction, there was plenty to empathise with. ![]() The track's inner monologue gives clear insight into the mental struggles of resisting drink, with the narrator resigned to drinking again despite being acutely aware of succumbing to the same patterns again and again. FUAD is a metaphorical centrepiece in this regard. The words are front and centre, with the narrator resigned to spend the new year at a party don't want to be at, without the mental fog of alcohol to make the night tolerable. It's a stark listen.Įlsewhere on the record, the addict's brain takes control. There is no anthemic chorus or upbeat synth. It’s a sparse track, Pierre’s lyrics the focal point propped up by electric guitar. The best example of this is perhaps on the somber Together We’ll Ring in The New Year. There are songs that are angry and ecstatic, there are those awash in alcohol's comedown, there are those that represent the clarity that glimpses of sobriety offered. It's this struggle that underpins Commit This To Memory. As the band geared up to record the album, the singer was grappling with alcoholism. Ten years later, they devoted an anniversary tour to it, to a fanbase who still held it dearly to their hearts. On the face of it, it was one of pop-punk's premiere success stories.īut despite the band's growing profile, the album was born from a period of unprecedented darkness in Pierre's life. More significantly, they sold enough copies to chart on Billboard the week of its release. Pierre’s vocals had filled out, as if ready-made for the radio play they would get on the US' alternative radio stations. The sound and production were audibly sharper, from the snare drum to the synths. The recordings were a formidable step up from an already solid debut release. The extra time spent perfecting Commit This To Memory was worth it. And on production duties? That would be Blink-182 co-founder Mark Hoppus. Instead of ten days at a studio, they could now spend a total of six weeks in California to create a near-perfect pop record. Eventually signing with punk mainstay Epitaph Records, the scope for I Am The Movie's follow up was suddenly vast. This upswing in commercial interest – plus a devoted fanbase cemented by the incessant touring of their early days – quickly made MCS a tantalising prospect to labels. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |