Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Mcfly - Motion in the Ocean (2006)

Sandra Linnutaja

Motion in the Ocean is album number three from a London pop-rock band Mcfly released in November 2006. It is a jump back to the simple pop songs that they tried to stay away from on the second album when experimenting with all kinds of different sounds. As said, they are back to their roots and giving fans what they expect. The album is a mixture of soft ballads and fun pop tracks with hooks that haunt your mind and ears for hours.



Motion in the Ocean is a good example of Mcfly’s good energy and upbeat style as well as good musicianship and uniqueness. Singles „Please, Please“ and „Star Girl“ were both chart-toppers and a representation of proper guitar pop. The first being a bit more rockin’ and punk as it should be being a song written to/about Lindsay Lohan.


„Bubblewrap“ and „Walk in the Sun“ are classic piano-led ballads that bring you back down once in a while between all this „bubblegum“ pop and give the fans a chance to have a nice break from this pop-ish and hook filled album. Another ballad „Home Is Where the Heart Is“ is very Jon Bon Jovi like but not as well executed. It’s not quite the stadium rock anthem the boys were perhaps hoping for.


Lyrically, this album is definitely not their best and shows well their age and mindset (the oldest member at the time was 22) as some words seem to be added just because they were needed to fill some lines. They do tend to go for the easy to sing along lyric. But there are, however, some gems like “We Are the Young” which perfectly embodies the feeling of invincibility that the young most definitely have.

The album is believed to be influenced by Queen but truthfully the only songs relating to the band is the cover of „Don’t Stop Me Now“ which has not been changed much in terms of performance and „Little Joanna“ with Queen-style harmonies, however, the latter’s quality melodies are again let down by rather ridiculous lyrics. It is entertaining though. 

Something a bit different is found in the track called „Transylvania“. It starts off with a famous excerpt from Bach’s Toccata and Fugue and goes on to be an interesting take on a classic pop song. The chorus is given to the band's bass player who at the time got to sing very rarely. 


The whole album maybe not as impressive to an outsider as it is one made for the fans with many of their favourites. But it is a good effort from the boys as they have written all the songs themselves and really tried to steer towards a somewhat new sound. It should just be enjoyed for fun and to boost your mood in whatever situation. Honestly, it is teen-pop at its best and there's no shame in that. 

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