New Motion City Soundtrack Video: "Her Words Destroyed My Planet"

Before I start, let me just say that I don't understand what a Vevo is. What's wrong with the YouTube? Lots of people like the YouTube! Listen, Vevo, I'm allergic to change. And also ragweed. I don't support what you're trying to force on me. This is probably what grandparents feel like all the time. Like, "who needs an Internet if I've got a perfectly good radio right here? FDR is giving his Fireside Chat tonight," your grandparent says. Or, "What is a Lady Gaga? Is she like Rosemary Clooney?" GRANDPARENTS! I am now basically one of those. Back in my day, we used to stream and embed our videos using a YouTube, not a Vevo, and also, the Jersey Shore was just a popular vacation spot. What is a Snooki? Is that like a Lady Gaga?

Anyway, Motion City Soundtrack, you guys. Familiar with them? You should be. They've been plugging away for the last 13 years, perfecting their brand of quirky, Moog-heavy Midwestern rock amidst Meth addictions and lots of hair product. Truth be told, the band probably missed its shot at any kind of serious stardom a few years ago. Yet here they are, shlubby and in their 30's, set to deliver their major label debut and fourth album, My Dinosaur Life. The band could've gone for broke and polished things up in hopes for mass appeal, but instead they got rawer and managed to sound more like Superchunk, which is great for us. They also used all that money to make absurd choregoraphed videos like the one for lead single, "Her Words Destroyed My Planet." The song itself is THEBOMB.COM, littered with idiosyncracies, pop culture references and a chunky riff right off of Pinkerton. The video is aces, too. Watch it above on...ugh, whatever.

My Dinosaur Life hits stores next Tuesday (1/19) via Columbia. The whole thing streams on MySpace beginning tomorrow.

EDIT: The video is now on YouTube.

Phantom Planet Isn't Missing, New Album Out Today

It feels like forever since Phantom Planet was relevant, and by all accounts, it has been. The band disappeared after 2004's underwhelming self-titled album, but miraculously, they've made a substantial comeback this year, first surprisingly signing to Fueled By Ramen, and then announcing a joint tour with the likes of Panic At The Disco and Motion City Soundtrack, all leading up to today's release of Raise the Dead. If it seems like a calculated effort to win back the fanbase that the band achieved with "California", the indelible theme song from The O.C., it may very well be. Having heard the album, though, let's push all marketing efforts to the wayside, because the resulting work is actually way more than half-decent. There's something for everything to like, as it feels like the logical midway point the band skipped between 2002's Costelloesque The Guest and the forced garage rock album that followed it up two years later. It doesn't feel contrived; rather, it's a natural collection that finds the band comfortably playing their brand of jagged pop while avoiding the temptation to jump on any particular trend.

You can hear the entire record over at Phantom Planet's Myspace, where it's currently up for streaming.

Now if only Jason Schwartzman would rejoin the band...

-Andrew Daniels