#6 Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory

There is one album that kept coming to the forefront of my mind when I asked myself what I would consider my favorite amongst the mental list I've gathered over the years. Ultimately, Commit This To Memory, the sophomore album by Motion City Soundtrack, would have to be the answer. The more I thought about it the more I felt Commit This To Memory would have to be my favorite album because of the evolving relationship I have had with it over the years.

As a newly aged teenager I longed for the discovery of new music. This led me to searching for scraps wherever I could. Whether it was borrowing a CD from a friend and burning it on to my computer, saving enough money to buy an album at the mall, or picking a CD off the shelf in my sister's room. I found Commit This To Memory by the latter. 

As a teen, frankly, music that had any sexual reference or said the word 'fuck' had an appeal to me. 

Commit This To Memory feature a lot of "fucks". Primarily from its track "When Youre Around" and "L.G.FUAD" (Let's Get Fucked Up and Die). 

The other appeal this album had was its upbeat Pop Punk Emo Rock attitude that I had already learned to love from another favorite band, Blink-182. The vocal range, guitar riffs, heavy synth features, and melodic drum beats hooked me. As it turns out, this album was produced by none other than Blink's Mark Hoppus. So, the tracks became instant favorites from my cd player, to my many ipods, and now to my phone. 

I spent some time away from the album in my 20s, I still went to the 15th anniversary concert, but found my way further back to the album as friends discovered it for the first time. They loved the album and discovered it all on their own. That drew me back in.

I found a new connection upon a reexamination of the lyrics featured in Commit This To Memory. As a teen I took the lyrics at face value, often not even knowing what they meant. Now, I listen to them and understand their complicated depictions. Having closely followed lead singer/songwriter Justin Courntey Pierre over the years I have learned about some of his mental health and even physical health struggles

So, what started as a naive attachment to an album because of the swears and instruments as a teen has evolved. I look back on my 20s and relive in memory some of the destructive behaviors, anger, or despair on display in the lyrics of Commit This To Memory. This album has turned into a time machine to these moments in my life and that has made it my favorite.