Motion City Soundtrack

This summer, Minnesota pop-rock quintet Motion City Soundtrack released their fifth and arguably most dynamic album, <i>Go</i>. It touches on sounds both old and new. The album's Moog-driven opener, “Circuits and Wires,” has a stinging chorus similar to that of seething tracks like “Disappear,” from the band's 2009 full-length, <i>My Dinosaur Life</i>; the first single “True Romance” has the bubblegum-pop power of the band's third album, <i>Even If It Kills Me</i>; and the melancholy ballad “Everyone Will Die” adds a slightly atmospheric, Coldplay-esque vibe to their sound with a snare drum and violin slowly pacing in the background. Motion City Soundtrack have matured, but they've retained the tastefully bittersweet bite that has defined their songwriting since their 2003 debut, <i>I Am the Movie</i>.