Music Review: MKTO "American Dream"

MKTO

American Dream

Album: MKTO

Year: 2014

     Malcolm Kelley and Tony Oller slam Midwestern life in the holier-than-thou            “American Dream.”

        In the intro, a low piano plays, setting a  fatal  tone. they tell people to get out of the daily grind and not sit around dreaming. (“Do something with your life, do something with your life/Do something with your life, do something with your life/Do something with your life, do something with your life/Do something with your life, do something with your life/(Oh) With your life, with your life, with your life.”)

     A depressing piano opens the single, setting a withering  tone.  Oller is on hold, waiting for the insurance to answer the phone. As they were about to cross the state line into Arizona, the car stalled. Standing around in the dry heat, though, is preferable to the depressing winters back home. Home is where nothing changes and everybody stays in the same place. He and Kelley were couldn’t take it anymore and planned a move to California. Kelley says they are leaving behind the average suburban life. Neither are interested in the typical “graduate college, marry, have a couple children and work at substandard job.” They want the world. People back home snickered but they will accomplish their dreams. They want the music video and the landscapes seen on television. (“We broke down, trying to leave town/Lying on the road to change/We were born to run, Cali here we come/Escape from Nowhere, USA/Say good-bye to white picket fences/Say hello to palm trees and Benzes/They say you got to fall, to have it all/And we don't want two kids and a wife/I don't want a job, I just want a life/Sometimes the underdogs rise, and the mighty fall (And the mighty fall.”)

          Oller says they aren’t about sunshine and light. John Mellencamp’s ideals are irrelevant. Everyday, the world is changing and it’s becoming harder to keep up with it. The American Dream no longer exists. (“This ain’t the same summer song that you used to know/Cause Jack left Diane thirty years ago/The world is spinning too fast for you and me/So tell me whatever happened to the American dream?”)

           Oller says he was out at the club last night, She offered herself up to him, saying she wants to become famous in any way she can. Kelley tells her that she’s troubled and has to be careful. Otherwise, she may die. (“I knew a girl, I met her last night/She was fresh off the plane/She whispered in my ear/"Baby come here, I'll do anything to make a name."/Honey take my hand and follow me, cause/I don't want to hurt you and he does/I just want to give you some real advice/Never take candy from stranger/And keep your eyes open for danger/Because this right here is a twisting paradise.”)

            The chorus is sung twice.

             In the bridge, they “na na” and are excited to no longer to be stuck in a small town where they are nobody. (“We were born to run, Cali here we come/We're getting out of here baby/Let's get out of here.”)

             The chorus is sung again.

             They “na na” again to close the single.

           MKTO’s uneven vocals can’t find the balance between pop and rap. Currently, they are both giving both genres equal time. However, they need to choose one over the other. Kelley should have to actually sing every once in a while. Also, they continue to have to no self-awareness. They are actually embodying the new American Dream: become famous at any cost. However, they couldn’t find a better example than the young woman using her body to get ahead?

           Women aren’t the only ones getting condescended and to lectured, either. It’s directed for those of us who live in the Midwestern states with the John Mellencamp reference. According to MKTO, Midwesterners are perfectly content with the status quo and have no desire to break the mold. They need to brush up on their Wikipedia reading and look up Madonna and Enimen. Both came from Michigan.

           The dickish  “American Dream” wants to tell everyone how to live their lives and by the way, be prepared for a hypocritical sermon if the choice is to have a family instead of opting for a materialistic life. You’ve  been warned.