Commit This to Memory: Difference between revisions

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The band first began writing songs at their rehearsal space in their hometown of Minneapolis, which they nicknamed the "Dungeon", due to its ability to "suck the life and energy out of the band."<ref name="theage">{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/forward-motion/2005/08/24/1124562925211.html|title=Forward Motion|date=August 26, 2005|newspaper=[[The Age]]|accessdate=April 15, 2014}}</ref> For Pierre, the album came at the brink of a transitional period for him, in which he began to seek treatment for alcohol abuse.<ref name=pierrepodcast/> He left the band during the writing stages for Los Angeles where he moved in with Epitaph founder [[Brett Gurewitz]] and began attending [[Alcoholics Anonymous]] meetings.<ref name="cb"/> Afterwards, the band rejoined Pierre in Los Angeles to begin recording demos for a month; the change of scenery brought about new energy for the group, according to Pierre.<ref name="theage"/> ''Commit This to Memory'' would be the first album by the band to feature material crafted by each musician in the group, as previous releases had featured songs written in the years prior to each member joining.<ref name="theage"/> In addition, the band had more time and funds to spend time working on the album. "It was also the first time we had a lot more time and money to go in and feel like we were making a real record this time, whereas ''I Am the Movie'' was recorded in little segments here and there and eventually pieced together," said drummer [[Tony Thaxton]].<ref name="wildcat">{{cite news|url=http://wc.arizona.edu/papers/98/208/04_11.html|title=Motion City Soundtrack keeps busy|author= Michael Petitti |date=October 27, 2005|newspaper=[[Arizona Daily Wildcat]]|accessdate=April 15, 2014}}</ref>

Recording sessions for ''Commit This to Memory'', which were booked by Hoppus, were scheduled over six weeks at Seedy Underbelly Studios in [[Valley Village, Los Angeles|Valley Village]], a district of [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], which was actually a rented house that had once belonged to [[Jeff Porcaro]], the drummer for [[Toto (band)|Toto]].<ref name="shooman"/><ref name="Hoppus"/><ref name="mtv1"/> The band had, according to Hoppus, "a million ideas and a lot of energy and enthusiasm to make a great record".<ref name="Hoppus">{{cite web |url=http://pickrset.com/musicnews/1441/exclusive+mark+hoppus+pickrset+interview |title=Mark Hoppus Interview |publisher=pickRset |date=September 3, 2008 |accessdate=November 4, 2012 |deadurlurl-status=yesdead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211114626/http://pickrset.com/musicnews/1441/exclusive%2Bmark%2Bhoppus%2Bpickrset%2Binterview |archivedate=February 11, 2009 |df= }}</ref> Pierre strove for the record to have a sound that resembled the bands [[Braid (band)|Braid]], [[Superchunk]], [[Jawbox]] and the [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]].<ref name="mtv1">{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1504262/motion-city-soundtrack-throw-noisy-house-party.jhtml|title=Mark Hoppus Throws House Party For Motion City Soundtrack|author=James Montgomery|date=June 16, 2005|publisher=MTV News|accessdate=November 4, 2012}}</ref> Living in a suburb, the neighbors had called police to the band and Hoppus several times for being too loud at night time, especially when Hoppus brought a [[Roland TR-808]] drum machine outside to work on a song late at night.<ref name="mtv1"/> According to Pierre, Hoppus was not interested in putting his own stamp on the music, but rather bringing out the best in what he saw in the group.<ref name=pierrepodcast/> Hoppus generally modeled his production after [[Jerry Finn]] (a longtime producer of Blink-182), and therefore it involved much watching and listening. "Mark kept telling us, 'Your name is going to be a lot bigger on the front than mine is on the back'," recalled Justin Pierre, "So he would throw suggestions out there but always say, 'Feel free to turn these down.' And we would!"<ref name="shooman">{{cite book |last=Shooman |first=Joe|title=Blink-182: The Bands, The Breakdown & The Return|publisher=Independent Music Press |date=June 24, 2010 |pages=147 |isbn=978-1-90619-110-8}}</ref>

Pierre characterized Hoppus as both "very involved and not involved," with his job as producer mainly giving notes on the sound of the instruments and offering suggestions to improve songs. Hoppus mostly worked with the band on arrangements, believing the songs were too packed and "needed to breathe".<ref name="Hoppus"/> Hoppus mentioned that label politics had hindered the creativity of Blink's ''[[Take Off Your Pants and Jacket]]'' (2001), and did not want to see the same fate befall the band.<ref name=ca>{{cite news| author=Keith Carman| date =April 27, 2005| title =Motion City Soundtrack Give Mad Props To Blink's Hoppus| work=[[ChartAttack]]}}</ref> He was "meticulous" in his approach, partially due to the fact that it was his first production job. Hoppus was the one who advised the band to merge two previously unrelated songs—a slower, softer song and a pulsating drum track—into one, which became "Time Turned Fragile".<ref name=pierrepodcast/> The frontman of [[Fall Out Boy]], [[Patrick Stump]], contributed guest vocals to "[[Everything Is Alright]]", and Hoppus to "Hangman".<ref name="liner">{{cite AV media notes | title=Commit This to Memory| year=2005| others=[[Motion City Soundtrack]] | type=liner notes | publisher=Epitaph | ___location=[[United States|US]] | id=86750-2}}</ref> With production completed, Hoppus was very excited for the band that he felt was on the cusp of "great things", recalling, "After six weeks of these guys living all together in two rooms of this house with a studio attached they created this amazingly beautiful and honest album. Justin's lyrics are so brutally truthful."<ref name="Hoppus"/> The group completed recording in November 2004, and judged final mixes over the interim months.<ref name="cleve"/> Pierre later called ''Commit This to Memory'' his personal favorite album by the band.<ref name="noisey" />

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In a 2015 interview, Pierre notes that fans have told him that they find ''Commit This to Memory'' a "winter album," to which he agrees, noting the unintentional mention of the new year in several songs.<ref name=pierrepodcast/> His lyricism on ''Commit This to Memory'' centralizes around [[Personal development|change]] and, in his words, "being a complete fuckup, yet, at the same time, being somewhat successful".<ref name="altpress05"/> On the record, he "addresses the themes of [[substance abuse]], [[psychological disorder]]s and failing relationships."<ref name="pga">{{cite news|url=http://puregrainaudio.com/interviews/interview-with-motion-city-soundtrack-vocalist-and-guitarist-justin-pierre-discusses-commit-this-to-memory-songwriting-and-the-shortest-lifetime-ever|title=Interview with Motion City Soundtrack; Vocalist and Guitarist Justin Pierre Discusses 'Commit This To Memory', Songwriting and the Shortest Lifetime Ever|date=January 12, 2015|author=Justin Franco|accessdate=January 15, 2015|publisher=Pure Grain Audio}}</ref> Pierre penned "[[Everything Is Alright]]" as a summary of his OCD ([[Obsessive–compulsive disorder]]) tendencies. He intended to utilize his [[social anxiety]] and fears in the song's form, which he has since employed in numerous other compositions. "I don’t think the [phrase] "[[tongue-in-cheek]]" is correct, but it’s something where the verses are one thing and then the chorus is another, but it's sort of like giving yourself a pep talk," said Pierre.<ref name="AP">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/backtracking_the_story_of_everything_is_alright_by_motion_city_soundtrack|title=BackTracking: The story of "Everything Is Alright" by Motion City Soundtrack|author= Jason Pettigrew|date=July 29, 2013|magazine=[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]|accessdate=April 15, 2014}}</ref> The song's lyrics include hating such mundane things as "theme parks, flying, strangers, [and] waiting in line," things that Pierre genuinely disliked at the time of the song's writing.<ref name="AP" /> For the record, he intended to simplify his lyrics to enhance [[storytelling]] and he drew inspiration from [[Tom Waits]], [[Ben Folds]] and [[John K. Samson]]'s writing styles.<ref name="altpress05"/> Keeping in the Waits/Folds inspiration, Pierre strove to write from another person's point of view; in the case of "Time Turned Fragile", it is sung from the perspective of his father.<ref name=rs>{{cite journal| last =Robertson| first =Jessica| date =June 9, 2005|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/motion-city-soundtrack-get-committed-20050609|title =Motion City Get Committed| journal =[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]| volume = | issue =976 | page = | issn =0035-791X }}</ref>

{{Listen|filename= LG FUAD MCS.ogg |title="L.G. Fuad" | description=The band's style combines Pierre's dark lyrics with more upbeat music, including prominent use of the [[Moog synthesizer]].<ref name=avclub/>|format=[[Ogg]]}}

Pierre has in retrospect labeled half of the album's writing as being completed while inebriated and the other half while getting sober.<ref name="noisey"/> For example, he penned the lyrics to "Attractive Today" and "Time Turned Fragile" while drunk in his apartment, in a "sad and lonely place."<ref name=pierrepodcast/> In this approach, words mostly "just came out," and were not substantially revised. In addition, he was listening to the 2003 album ''[[Reconstruction Site]]'' by [[the Weakerthans]], and found himself inspired by the songwriting of frontman [[John K. Samson]].<ref name=pierrepodcast/> Pierre would often take lyrics from other bands songs for song titles; "Time Turned Fragile" is lifted from a lyric in [[Limbeck]]'s "[[Hi, Everything's Great|Julia]]", while "Together We'll Ring in the New Year" was pulled from the Tom Waits song "[[Franks Wild Years|Please Wake Me Up]]".<ref name=pierrepodcast/> "[[L.G. Fuad]]"—which stands for "Let's Get Fucked Up and Die"—grew out of a night on Motion City Soundtrack's 2003 UK tour with [[The All-American Rejects]], in which the latter band's merchandise manager was severely inebriated.<ref name="altpress05"/> He stood on the merchandise stand and shouted what became the song's refrain. All involved found great humor in the "mantra", which went on to be printed on business cards as a joke.<ref name=altpress05>{{cite journal| date =July 2005| title =Motion City Soundtrack Article| journal = [[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]| volume = | issue = 204| pages =129–130 | issn =1065-1667 | url =}}</ref> "Hold Me Down" was inspired by a former roommate of Pierre's. After she had moved out, Pierre found a portion of her math homework in a couch cushion, leading to him imagining a scenario of finding a letter from a departed lover.<ref name=pierrepodcast>{{cite video|people = Lucy, Evan (Interviewer); Pierre, Justin (Interviewee)|date = January 15, 2015|title = Episode 025: Justin Pierre (10-Year Motion City Soundtrack Retrospective)|url = http://ec.libsyn.com/p/4/0/0/4005c806b8ff4410/VV025.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d06ca8634d4cc5d4645&c_id=8177547|format = mp3|medium = Podcast|publisher = Voice & Verse|accessdate = January 15, 2015|archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/6VbgpNDLF?url=http://ec.libsyn.com/p/4/0/0/4005c806b8ff4410/VV025.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d06ca8634d4cc5d4645&c_id=8177547|archivedate = January 15, 2015|deadurl = yes|dfurl-status = dead}}</ref>

The album has been called definitive of [[pop punk]].<ref name="avclub"/> Joshua Cain dismissed this label, remarking, "I definitely wouldn't consider us a pop-punk band. Our influences are more based on '90s bands like [[Superchunk]] and early [[Weezer]]."<ref name=altpress05.1>{{cite journal| author=Eric Schelkopf| date =January 28, 2005|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050312204437/http://www.nwherald.com/EntertainmentSection/sound/293671886277726.php|archivedate=March 12, 2005| title =Epitaph bands join for tour stops at NIU, Metro | journal =[[Kane County Chronicle]]|url=http://www.nwherald.com/EntertainmentSection/sound/293671886277726.php}}</ref>

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|rev5= [[PopMatters]]

|rev5Score= (5/10)<ref name="Popm">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/m/motioncitysoundtrack-commit.shtml|title=Motion City Soundtrack: Commit This to Memory|magazine=[[PopMatters]]|last=Jagernauth |first=Kevin|accessdate=2009-11-28}}</ref>

}}Upon its release, ''Commit This to Memory'' received general acclaim from music critics. Scott Heisel of ''[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]'' wrote that "''Memory'' is an inspired, mature sophomore disc chock full of catchy, intelligent pop-rock."<ref name="ap">{{cite magazine|author=Scott Heisel|url=http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/committhistomemory|title=Review: ''Commit This to Memory''|magazine=[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]|accessdate=April 14, 2014}}</ref> [[Allmusic]]'s Johnny Loftus considered the band more intelligent and sophisticated than their [[Warped Tour]] peers: "Motion City Soundtrack['s] wistful memories, tales of breaking up, and frantic searches for answers [are] realer than the next pop-punk combo on the quadruple summertime bill."<ref name="am">{{cite web|author=Johnny Loftus |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/commit-this-to-memory-mw0000208534|title=Review: ''Commit This to Memory''|website=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=April 14, 2014}}</ref> Jennifer Maerz of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' ended her review with the note that "MCS' slick, soaring anthems ultimately unite the spirits of those who see themselves, like Pierre, as 'lifeless corners of this empty frame.'"<ref name=ewreview>{{cite journal| last =Maerz| first =Jennifer| date =June 13, 2005| title =''Commit This to Memory'' - Review| journal = [[Entertainment Weekly]]| volume = | issue = 825| page =| issn =1049-0434 | url =http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1070637,00.html| accessdate =September 27, 2012}}</ref> Mark Griffiths of ''[[Kerrang!]]'' wrote, "It's a bright and invigorating affair [...] and is, in short, fantastic."<ref name="Kerrang">{{cite news|title=Album Reviews |date=July 2005 |work=[[Kerrang!]] |author=Mark Griffiths |url=http://www.motioncitysoundtrack.com/press_kerang_july.jpg |accessdate=May 29, 2015 |deadurlurl-status=yesdead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926162329/http://www.motioncitysoundtrack.com/press_kerang_july.jpg |archivedate=September 26, 2006 }}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]''{{'s}} Marianne Meyer opined that the record "nimbly moves from skittish rhythms to genuinely tender sentiment."<ref name="wp">{{cite news|title=Live!|date=April 27, 2005|work=[[The Washington Post]]|author=Marianne Meyer|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/27/AR2005042700713.html?referrer=emailarticle|accessdate=May 29, 2015}}</ref>

Jessica Grose of ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' favorably compared it to Blink-182's ''[[Enema of the State]]'' (1999).<ref name="spin05">{{cite news|title=Band of the Day: Motion City Soundtrack|date=June 9, 2005|work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|author=Jessica Grose|url=http://www.spin.com/features/band_of_the_day/2005/06/06092005_motion_city_soundtrack/|accessdate=May 29, 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060809215809/http://www.spin.com/features/band_of_the_day/2005/06/06092005_motion_city_soundtrack/|archivedate=August 9, 2006}}</ref> Tony McMenamin of ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' deemed it the publication's album of the month, calling it "a charged mix of instantly catchy pop-punk lashings and somber acoustic wailings."<ref name="blender05">{{cite news|title=Editors' Picks: July 2005|date=July 2005|work=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|author=Tony McMenamin|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=1688|accessdate=May 29, 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123034520/http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=1688|archivedate=November 23, 2005}}</ref>

The album was leaked to [[file sharing]] websites within a day of the final [[Audio mastering|mastering]] and months before its official release.<ref name=rehearsalvid>{{cite video|people = Megan Cunningham, Mike Raffensperger (Producers) |title= Rehearsal Space: Motion City Soundtrack |url= http://www.zoom-in.com/spotlights/rehearsal_space_motion_city_soundtrack |format= Streaming video |medium= Interview |publisher= Zoom-In |accessdate = May 29, 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705005216/http://www.zoom-in.com/spotlights/rehearsal_space_motion_city_soundtrack|archivedate=July 5, 2008}}</ref> It debuted on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] in the issue dated June 25, 2005 at position 72,<ref name=billboard1>{{cite journal| date =June 25, 2005| title =The ''Billboard'' 200| journal =[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| volume =117| issue = 26| page =53 | issn =0006-2510| url = }}</ref> selling 16,000 copies in its opening week.<ref name=billboard>{{cite journal| author=Cortney Harding| date =October 6, 2007| title =Chart Motion| journal =[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| volume =119| issue = 40| page =46 | issn =0006-2510| url = }}</ref> It charted better on the magazine's [[Independent Albums]] chart, where it peaked at number two.<ref name="ind"/> The last official estimate placed it at 285,000 albums sold in the U.S.,<ref name="oc"/> but Pierre said in 2015 interview that the number is closer to 500,000.<ref name="noisey">{{cite news|url=http://noisey.vice.com/blog/rank-your-records-motion-city-soundtracks-justin-pierre|author=Jonah Bayer|title=Rank Your Records: Motion City Soundtrack's Justin Pierre Rates the Band's Five Albums|publisher=[[Vice Media, Inc.|Noisey]] ([[Vice Media, Inc.]])|date=October 1, 2015|accessdate=October 1, 2015}}</ref> The band's music videos found regular rotation on networks such as [[MTV2]], and the band also performed on ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]''.<ref name="westw"/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s Lauren Gilton considered the album a [[sleeper hit]].<ref name="rs05">{{cite news|title=Bands to Watch: Motion City Soundtrack |author=Lauren Gilton |date=December 1, 2005 |url=http://www.motioncitysoundtrack.com/RSPress.jpg |page=28 |issue=988 |accessdate=May 29, 2015 |deadurlurl-status=yesdead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061218225055/http://www.motioncitysoundtrack.com/RSPress.jpg |archivedate=December 18, 2006 }}</ref> Nevertheless, the band’s breakthrough brought naysayers, and the group became targets for critics of [[pop punk]]: "[the band was] frequently characterized as the sort of ultra-commercial punk poseurs who water down the genre to the point of drowning it."<ref name="westw">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.westword.com/2006-02-16/music/constant-motion/full|title=Constant Motion|author= Michael Roberts |date=February 16, 2006|magazine=[[Westword]]|accessdate=April 15, 2014}}</ref>

Subsequent reviews of the album have continued to be positive. In 2014, ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' referred to the album as a classic of [[pop punk]], "full of hook-laden, keyboard-assisted songs whose bright melodies don’t mask the despair and self-loathing lurking beneath them."<ref name="avclub"/> Reyan Ali of ''Cincinnati CityBeat'' wrote that ''Commit This to Memory'' "absolutely bleeds charm," commenting, "Even with all the dire thematic matter Pierre’s lyrics covered, [...] the band framed the words with music that sparkled, owing to spunky, inspired hooks, full-sounding record production and ample doses of Moog."<ref name="cb"/> ''[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]''{{'s}} Tyler Sharp deemed the record a "classic,"<ref name="altpress14">{{cite news|url=http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/motion_city_soundtrack_announce_commit_this_to_memory_10th_anniversary_tour|title=Motion City Soundtrack announce ‘Commit This To Memory’ 10th Anniversary Tour|author= Tyler Sharp |date=November 10, 2014|work=[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]|accessdate=May 29, 2015}}</ref> while Taylor Morgan of ''[[OC Weekly]]'' called it "the soundtrack of [[millennial]] youth, reminiscent of breakups, making out, goofing off, and growing up."<ref name="oc">{{cite news|url=http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2015/02/motion_city_soundtrack_february_12th_2015_1.php|title=Motion City Soundtrack Delivers Pop Punk Nostalgia in Anaheim|author=Taylor Morgan|date=February 13, 2015|work=[[OC Weekly]]|accessdate=May 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518103844/http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2015/02/motion_city_soundtrack_february_12th_2015_1.php|archive-date=May 18, 2015|dead-url-status=yesdead}}</ref> [[BuzzFeed]] included the album at number 21 on their "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F——ing Die" list.<ref name=BuzzFeed>{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/mariasherm/36-pop-punk-albums-you-need-to-hear-before-you-f-ing-die|title=36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F----ing Die|author1=Sherman, Maria |author2=Broderick, Ryan |work=BuzzFeed|date=July 2, 2013|accessdate=July 29, 2015}}</ref> ''[[NME]]'' listed the album as one of "20 Pop Punk Albums Which Will Make You Nostalgic".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/photos/20-pop-punk-albums-which-will-make-you-nostalgic/340824|title=20 Pop Punk Albums Which Will Make You Nostalgic|date=June 9, 2014|work=NME.com|accessdate=July 29, 2015}}</ref>

==Touring==