What a year 2016 has been.
We’ve been through so much throughout this eventful year. Things have happened this year that no one would have expected, such as the Cubs winning the World Series, or the living embodiment of a troll getting elected president (let’s not get into that). We’ve went through an immense amount of tragic losses, such as Prince and Muhammad Ali, but those aren’t the only losses we have experienced this year. Motion City Soundtrack announced earlier this year that they would no longer be together after almost 20 years in the industry, which broke the hearts of many fans around the world.
Motion City Soundtrack was formed in 1997 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Over the years, the band went through quite a few member changes, but the one consistency in the band’s lineup was vocalist/guitarist Justin Pierre. Motion City Soundtrack revolutionized modern emo and pop punk music, inspiring many current bands such as Sorority Noise, The Wonder Years, and Modern Baseball, all of which cite Motion City Soundtrack as one of their biggest influences in music. A staple of "Vans Warped Tour" in the mid 2000's, the band was well known for the use of the Moog synthesizer in their songs, something that hadn’t really been seen before in their genre. The word "revolutionary" does not even begin to describe the contributions this band had made to music during their time together.
Pierre and friends would release six albums over the span of their near 20 year existence. The band's debut album I Am The Movie was originally independently released in 2002 and was re-released the next year after the band signed to Epitaph records. Their next album, Commit This To Memory, brought the band to heights they never thought could be possible. The album, produced by Mark Hoppus of blink-182, became the band's biggest and most well-know album, and secured their spot as a headlining act across the country. In 2015, the band released what would be their sixth and final album, Panic Stations. The band embarked on their "So Long, Farewell" tour earlier this year, with the last stop being in their hometown of Minneapolis. After all the band has done for the music industry, and me personally, here's my top 10 songs (in no particular order) from one of my favorite bands of all time, Motion City Soundtrack.
1. Everything Is Alright
2. LG FUAD
3. Fell In Love Without You (Acoustic)
4. Her Words Destroyed My Planet
5. The Future Freaks Me Out
6. True Romance
7. It Had To Be You
8. When You’re Around
9. My Favorite Accident
10. Hold Me Down
This band has been so influential on not only me, but so many others. Before we say "so long, farewell" to the band, I'd like to say thanks for all this band has helped me get through over the years. So, thank you, Motion City Soundtrack. You'll be greatly missed.
