Motion City Soundtrack Give Mad Props To Blink's Hoppus

Wednesday April 27, 2005 @ 04:00 PM

"I think it was Tom Waits who said that an album should be like a meal," pontificates Motion City Soundtrack singer/guitarist Joshua Cain.

"I get that feeling from this album," he continues, making the point clear. "This is the first time I've ever thought our music sounds the way it should. It reminds me of when I used to put records on as a kid. It doesn't feel like it's just us getting together and recording, it's a real band."

Rounded out by guitarist/singer Justin Pierre, bassist Matt Taylor, drummer Tony Thaxton and keyboardist/Moog player Jesse Johnson, Motion City Soundtrack shy away from admitting that they've created quite the dazzling affair with Commit This To Memory. Poppier and more laidback than their debut effort, 2003's I Am The Movie, this sophomore release sees the band finding their niche.

Yet Cain and Pierre are quick to give most of that "niche" credit to producer (and Blink-182 bassist) Mark Hoppus.

"He was very positive," says Cain. "Even if he didn't like something, he'd find a positive way of telling you. I was pretty excited to see how much he actually knew. We all got to know him as a regular human being. You always see him on TV and stuff, so it was interesting to know that we have the same interests. He was more relatable."

"Mark was adamant about telling us, 'Don't worry about if the song is too poppy or not happy. If you like it, forget the politics behind it,'" adds Pierre. "He mentioned that when Blink-182 was writing Take Off Your Pants And Jacket, there were a lot of politics because of the pressure of following up the success of Enema Of The State. He was cool about telling us that it influenced that album so he didn't want to see that pressure fall to us."

Although it may sound like it, Hoppus didn't do all the work. With a bit of prying, MCS open up about their own contribution to Commit This To Memory. But being the modest boys they are, they'd rather grab the spotlight and shine it elsewhere than soak it up themselves. Even when admitting that they've certainly topped their own expectations, Cain has to give more props to Hoppus.

"We were almost there and he gave us a kick to let us know we could. We embraced it after that. Over the course of making Commit This To Memory --- or playing music in general --- we've realized that there are ways we can attack music from how weêre feeling at the moment, not just as a mandate."

---Keith Carman

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