Well known for their driving, sugary-sweet emo-pop sound,
Motion City Soundtrack ditch some of their punk leanings for a more pure pop sound on their fifth album,
Go. While the band has always had a sunny, sweet quality, the album finds the group returning with a sound that feels more smoothed out and carefully measured. Though
Motion City Soundtrack make this more subdued sound work for them, it sometimes feels a bit restrained. Despite the hooky,
Weezer-esque guitars found on "The Coma Kid," the song feels like it needs a little boost, as if there's a volume ceiling that the band just can't quite break through. Overall, the album feels a little less bright, as if, since their last album was a summer record that was released in the winter, they would make
Go a more wintry record to put out in the summer. While
Motion City Soundtrack do get to open things up and spread their rock wings on "The Worst Is Yet to Come," the song is the exception on the album and not the rule. That said, this new sound isn't necessarily bad; it's just different, and though fans might need a minute to adjust to the more laid-back nature of the songs found on
Go, a close listen will reveal a sound that, though not bigger, is definitely deeper than their earlier work. There are layers of atmosphere at work on the album that just wouldn't be possible if the band was trying to incorporate them into a bunch of rapid-fire pop-punk wind sprints. These changes make
Go an album that, once fans shift into the proper gear, really shows that these guys are capable of something more expansive than anything they've done before. ~ Gregory Heaney