Audio By Carbonatix
OK Go scored right out of the box with its memorable shit-talking single “Get Over It,” which epitomized the band’s fun-loving, amped-up power-pop. Riding a mix of crashing post-punk guitars and bouncy New Wave rhythms, this is a party band with real skills, not unlike fellow Illinois natives Cheap Trick, only remodeled to take advantage of the advances of The Pixies, and Gang of Four. Motion City Soundtrack’s second album, Commit This To Memory, is light-years ahead of its debut, though its bouncy pop undercurrent is still a little strange for Epitaph. MCS definitely listened to a little Sunny Day Real Estate as youths, but the group’s ebullient Moog warmth just as frequently evokes early ’80s bands at the nexus of New Wave, power-pop and punk, such as Romeo Void or The Records. The least accomplished of the lineup, Plain White Ts follow in a similar vein, but with more of a chunky, rustic jangle, bringing to mind ’80s L.A. paisley underground acts such as Dream Syndicate or Rain Parade.
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