If you're like me, the state of Minnesota is automatically associated with one of two things: 1) Mall of America and 2) Fargo. One is awesome because it has rollercoasters in it while the other single-handedly made me scared to ever visit the states of North Dakota and Minnesota for fear of ending up in a wood-chipper. Motion City Soundtrack is hard at work trying to make it as number three.
On the band's latest full-length, Even if it Kills Me, the band continues to further their development as songwriters. The music is still a pop-punk rooted, for the most part, but the band has, for the lack of a better word, matured and branched out with their songwriting by writing slower rock-oriented ballads - think Taking Back Sunday's latest full-length.
While it is nice that the band has willingly branched out beyond writing just pop-punk, it is their new style of writing that seems to drag things down. Motion City Soundtrack sounds best when they're upbeat and straightforward.
