Motion City Soundtrack – The Acoustic EP


Band: Motion City Soundtrack
Album: Acoustic EP
Genre: Acoustic/Pop Rock
Label: Epitaph

Tracks:
1. Fell in Love Without You
2. It had To Be You
3. Broken Heart
4. Can’t Finish What You Started
5. Point Of Extinction

Motion City soundtrack is, and this is fact, a staple in the current “scene.” However, I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say I was let down by their last effort, Even If It Kills Me. Much of the band’s staple sound [tongue twisting lyrics spliced with funny lines here and there] were gone and replaced with a more straightforward rock sound. Though, the album did yield a couple of gems that have since become new age fan favorites that, to no surprise, found their way onto this disc. Acoustic EP, is just as the title says, five acoustic rendition of songs from the last album. Now, I was a bit skeptical of this synth laden band to unplug everything, but surprisingly, it worked out better than I think the band may have even expected.

The disc goes in the same order of the tracks original place on the full length, so with that said, “Fell In Love Without You,” is our starting point. From the moment it begins, with acoustic and piano lead in, you find yourself falling in love with Motion City all over again. All concerns about songs not changing over well are instantly out the window and in fact, this version is better than that on the album. Justin’s voice is solid and the harmonies are heart warming. If this is what the whole disc is going to be like then we are in for a treat. “It Had To Be You,” a song that seems to have been written to be played acoustically introduces solid drumming and synth work onto the disc. However, though these sound good, it is almost too similar to the original rendition of the song. I mean, I’m all about leaving the element that made the track pop initially as I think this is the best track on the full length, but this is suppose to be something different and it just feels like the exact same song just demo’d acoustically. On the other hand, everything does have a very open, natural sound to it. Luckily, the next track, “Broken Heart,” has a very different and beautiful feel compared to the original version. I would chock the original to being almost tongue in cheek at times about the writing, but here it feels literally heart breaking [no pun intended]. Additional percussion adds a great element and all the harmonies and vocal layers really make this track pop. It may be the midway of the disc, but it’s easily the best song on the whole EP.

Now, the last two songs already had some cards against them as I have never been too huge on them to begin with. “Can’t Finish What You Started,” is only flawed from the fact it feels so generic for the band. I mean, every band has a sound that you associate with them and for me, that sound is a combination of the band’s songs, “The Future Freaks Me Out,” and , “Everything Is Alright,” which, when put together, creates this track, only with less appeal. This version, which has strings swirling in the background, sounds great, but still falls flat in terms of really reaching out and grabbing your attention. “Point of Extinction,” the closer for the EP, does some salvation where the other track fell through. Being one of the weakest tracks [in my opinion] on the full length, I was curious to why the band chose this track for the EP. However, being a minute into it you realize that the weakest rack has become a more solid one with this new rendition. The band feels really in sync with the sound and message of the song and hand claps only go to show a real “natural” vibe to the track. If you close your eyes, I dare you to not picture the band in a small coffee shop with friends just working on the song. It’s structured well and makes you rethink the last album and even give it more spins, so I think, that spells success.

It is a bit sad to not have any new material from the band with this EP or even a b-side, however, what’s here is solid. At times, some tracks just don’t work or gel the way you think they should, but more times than not, those are the bigger songs. The ones that you loved on the last album may not be what you take away from this disc as being your favorite track and I think that says something. However, there’s only so much you can do with old material. If you love MCS or even acoustic pop in general, give this a shot, but don’t expect to be completely rocked [except for “Broken Heart”].

*Written By: James Shotwell*
GRADE: 7.5/10

James Shotwell
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