CD Review: The Motorcycle Industry

Album "Electric Education"

I love this The Motorcycle Industry's album. There is no reason why I wouldn't listen to all the tracks a few hundred times more and write a review.

Lesson One
The opening of the first track gives a good look at what John Langan is thinking. Life can seem trivial, and sometimes that’s okay. His delivery is perfect; it is always dragging and never quite perfectly in key every time. That gives him the confidence to laugh at this misfortune rather than to be depressed by it. The last 30 seconds of the song may be the best part, as gang vocals join Langan who is cynically laughing.

Angela
The track has clearly careful verses, and a very memorable chorus. However, the pre-chorus may be one of the most catchy melodies I’ve heard in ages. The song is well built up; the lead guitar work is sparse and this allows for Langan’s voice and the drum and acoustic to really drive the song. The bouncing bass and acoustic at the front of the mix and Weiss’s lead guitar lick feels like what Against Me! might sound like if Mark Hoppus produced the record.

Sustained Silent Reading
At a minute forty-one seconds, this track boasts the shortest runtime on the record. Mostly reminiscent, Langan revels in the past over Motion City Soundtrack synthesizer melodies, and a pinch of the gang vocals. It’s a shame the song isn’t more fleshed out, as the backline sounds excellent throughout, and the melodic interlude reminds me of how much I liked 90s alternative rock.