On September 18, Minneapolis’ Motion City Soundtrack released their third studio album, “Even If It Kills Me,” on Epitaph Records.

After hearing the first few singles of the record (“Broken Heart,” “This Is For Real,” “Fell In Love Without You”), one would imagine “Even If It Kills Me” would almost be a dance record.

However, while these songs are primarily played in a fast tempo and have a good beat to dance to, the majority of songs are about a recent breakup; a fresh wound, so to speak.

Most unique is “The Conversation,” a song that, really, is just a one-sided conversation about how a relationship is simply not working out anymore. The pain sung in this song is almost tangible, even though there is only piano in the background. In the end, it’s just a song about needing to take “a little time so [you] can find [yourself] again” before you get too involved with someone else.

In contrast, there is also “Antonia,” which is basically a list of good qualities about a woman named ‘Antonia’, who presumably saved Justin Pierre’s (vocals, guitar) life. In addition to being his savior, Pierre sweetly describes her as “…the pizza of [his] eye” and “Without her near [him he] would not survive.”

Also different for Motion City is “Hello Helicopter,” a song that seemingly has political undertones. There are several lyrics relating to war, wasting resources, and even pollution, as is evidenced by the lines “We all waste and consume/ Destroy and ruin everything we touch.”

Overall, “Even If It Kills Me” still demonstrates Motion City Soundtrack’s ability to take a blue feeling and make it into a cheerful-sounding song on the surface that actually has a deeper meaning. Longtime fans will enjoy the new album just as much as they liked “Commit This to Memory” and “I Am the Movie.”

Rating: *** ½ of four
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