Motion City Soundtrack
Making Moves: Volume 6 [7-inch] (2012)
Tori Pederson
The Making Moves 7" series, curated and produced by Motion City Soundtrack, is clearly a labor of love for the band, as well as a way to showcase some emerging artists. For the final installment of the series, they offer two new tracks of their own, as well as a cover displaying very three different sides of the band, with somewhat mixed, but overall enjoyable results.
"Severance" kicks things off with a strong Plans/Narrow Stairs-era Death Cab For Cutie vibe, only enhanced by lines about hearts and empty rooms in the chorus. It's a moreâdare I say itâmature Motion City Soundtrack, and could signal an interesting new direction for the group. "Major Leagues," however, is vintage MCS all over. It's upbeat, it's dancy, it's got jagged guitar and a soaring chorus. In other words, it wouldn't be out of place on I Am the Movie. For fans of the group's first two full-lengths, this will be the clear standout of this release.
A fairly faithful-to-the-original cover of Rilo Kiley's "Pictures of Success" brings the proceedings to a close, and is actually the closest thing stylistically to MSC's most recently released full-length GO. Other than trimming off its lengthy instrumental introduction, the group don't stray too far from the source material. It's a dark, grungy ballad, and suits the band well, but after a promising start and some gradually building tension, it doesn't really go anywhere. The listening is left waiting for a full band release that never comes.
If you've ever been a fan of Motion City Soundtrack, you're bound to enjoy at least one of these songs. They're all different enough from one another to provide a well-rounded listening experience, yet they still fit snugly enough under the same umbrella to function as a cohesive piece. Fans won't be disappointed.