Move Like This

Move Like This
Studio album by The Cars
Released	May 10, 2011
Recorded	2010–2011
Genre	New wave, art rock, garage rock,[1] power pop,[2] post-punk revival
Length	39:39
Label	Hear Music/Concord Music Group
Producer	Jacknife Lee, The Cars
The Cars chronology
Door to Door (1987) Move Like This (2011)

Move Like This is the seventh album by American rock band The Cars. The album is their first since 1987's Door to Door and features all of the original band members except for bassist and vocalist Benjamin Orr, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2000.^[3][4] He was given a special thanks on the booklet stating: "Ben, your spirit was with us on this one."

Background

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(69/100)[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The A.V. Club	(B)[6]
The Guardian	[1]
Rolling Stone	[7]
Spin	(5/10)[8]
The Tune	[9]

Move Like This is the first reunion of The Cars to feature vocalist Ric Ocasek since their 1988 split. In 1997, Ocasek told a journalist that the band would "never" reunite: "I'm saying never and you can count on that."^[10][11] A partial reunion of the band occurred in 2005 when keyboardist Greg Hawkes and lead guitarist Elliot Easton toured with singer Todd Rundgren, drummer Prairie Prince and bassist Kasim Sulton as "The New Cars"; neither Ocasek nor Cars drummer David Robinson participated, and the Rundgren lineup split following two years of touring.^[11]

According to Paste magazine, Ocasek said that he was "amazed at how we clicked when we got back together."^[12] Exclaim! has noted that The Cars' Facebook page featured a picture of producer Jacknife Lee, "which suggests that he will be producing the new album."^[13] According to Rolling Stone, Lee produced five of the songs from the album; The Cars themselves produced the others.^[14]

The Cars did not add a new bassist to the lineup to replace Orr; instead, the album's bass parts were programmed or performed by Hawkes and Lee, with Hawkes playing a bass once owned by Orr.^[14] While Ocasek and Orr split vocal duties on past albums, Ocasek sings lead on all the tracks from Move Like This.^[14] In a Rolling Stone interview, Ocasek said, "I was aware that on half of the new songs, Ben would have done better than I did. But we never wanted anybody from the outside."^[14]

According to Billboard, the album was recorded in engineer Paul Orofino's home studio in Millbrook, New York.^[11] Additional recording sessions were held in Los Angeles.^[14] The title of the album comes from a line in the song "Too Late"; one of the working titles for the album was Sharp Subtle Flavor.^[15] Ocasek decided to title the album Move Like This as a reference to the band's reputation for not moving around very much onstage.^[16]

Release and reception

In October 2010, the band released a one-minute clip of "Sad Song" and a 73-second sample of another track from the album, "Blue Tip", on their Facebook page; a snippet from a third track, "Free", was later posted on the band's page.^[11][17] FMQB described "Free" as a "return to the classic Cars sound that fans know and love."^[17]

On February 17, 2011, the band posted the full video for "Blue Tip" on their Facebook page.^[18] The first single, released in March, was the track "Sad Song".^[3] Exclaim! magazine comments that "[d]espite the title and lyrics, it doesn't sound particularly sad, as it contains a cheery beat and a catchy mix of synths and guitars."^[13]

Move Like This was released on May 10, 2011, and debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.^[19] The album received generally positive reviews from critics: in a three-and-a-half star review, Rolling Stone praised the "skillful restraint" of the band and Lee's production work, describing the album as "taut, sleek, seamless, [and] efficient".^[7] The A.V. Club awarded the album a "B" rating, praising the "catchy" "Blue Tip" and "Sad Song", and noting the latter song's similarity to "My Best Friend's Girl" from the band's 1978 debut.^[6] Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album four out of five stars, describing the album as "as bright, infectious, and tuneful as the Cars at their prime."^[2] Spin, however, granted the album a 5 out of 10 rating, criticizing the "clunkiness" of Ocasek's lyrics.^[8] NPR's Elizabeth Nelson called Move Like This a "fine new album" and singled out "Blue Tip" as "an incandescent pop gem" with a "brilliant" musical structure and "an absolutely relentless sing-along chorus".^[20]

North American tour

Main article: The Cars North American Tour Spring 2011

In April 2011, the band announced a North American tour to support the album;^[21] songs from the album performed on the tour include "Blue Tip", "Keep on Knocking", "Sad Song", "Free", "Drag on Forever" and "Hits Me".^[22]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Ric Ocasek, except where noted^[23]. 

No.	Title	Producer	Length
1.	"Blue Tip"	Jacknife Lee	3:13
2.	"Too Late"	The Cars	4:01
3.	"Keep On Knocking"	The Cars	3:52
4.	"Soon"	Jacknife Lee	4:23
5.	"Sad Song"	Jacknife Lee	3:38
6.	"Free"	Jacknife Lee	3:17
7.	"Drag On Forever"	The Cars	3:37
8.	"Take Another Look"	The Cars	4:46
9.	"It's Only"	The Cars	3:01
10.	"Hits Me"	Jacknife Lee	3:51

Best Buy edition

No.	Title	Length
11.	"One by One (demo version)"	3:52
12.	"Hits Me (demo version)"	3:40
13.	"Rocket USA (demo version)" (Vega, Reverby)	5:04

This enhanced CD also has videos for "Sad Song" and "Blue Tip."^[23] "Rocket USA" is a cover of a 1977 song by the American band Suicide, from their self-titled debut.

iTunes edition

11. Blue Tip (demo version)

Personnel

The Cars^[23]

• Ric Ocasek – lead and background vocals, guitars, keyboards
• Elliot Easton – guitars, background vocals
• Greg Hawkes – keyboards, bass guitar, guitars, background vocals
• David Robinson – drums, percussion, background vocals

with

• Jacknife Lee – additional bass^[14]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Sullivan, Caroline (May 5, 2011). "The Cars: Move Like This – review". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/may/05/the-cars-move-like-this-review. Retrieved June 3, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Cars - Move Like This: Review". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/album/move-like-this-r2139732/review. Retrieved June 3, 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Blau, Max (February 4, 2011). "The Cars Share Reunion Album Details". Paste (magazine). http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/02/the-cars-reveal-details-for-reunion-lp.html. Retrieved February 7, 2011. 
4. ^ Hogan, Ed. "Benjamin Orr: Biography". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/benjamin-orr-p111439/biography. Retrieved February 7, 2011. 
5. ^ "Metacritic: Move Like This". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/move-like-this. Retrieved June 3, 2011. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Hyden, Steven (May 10, 2011). "The Cars: Move Like This Music Review". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-cars-move-like-this,55799/. Retrieved June 3, 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Rosen, Jody (May 6, 2011). "The Cars: Move Like This". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/move-like-this-20110506. Retrieved May 14, 2011. 
8. ^ ^{a b} Wood, Mikael. "The Cars 'Move Like This': Buckle up, it's a bumpy cruise down '80s Avenue". Spin (magazine). http://www.spin.com/reviews/cars-move-hear. Retrieved June 3, 2011. 
9. ^ Review by The Tune
10. ^ Tijs, Andrew (February 5, 2011). "New Album For The Cars Gets Release Date". undercover.fm. http://www.undercover.fm/news/13621-new-album-for-the-cars-gets-release-date. Retrieved February 7, 2011. 
11. ^ ^{a b c d} Herrera, Monica (October 21, 2010). "The Cars Reunite for First Album in 23 Years". Billboard (magazine). http://www.billboard.com/news#/news/the-cars-reunite-for-first-album-in-23-years-1004123770.story. Retrieved February 7, 2011. 
12. ^ Stiernberg, Bonnie (November 1, 2010). "The Cars to Release First Album in 23 Years". Paste (magazine). http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/11/the-cars-to-release-first-album-in-23-years.html. Retrieved February 7, 2011. 
13. ^ ^{a b} Hudson, Alex (February 4, 2011). "The Cars' New LP Gets Release Date". Exclaim!. http://exclaim.ca/News/cars_new_lp_gets_release_date. Retrieved February 7, 2011. 
14. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Fricke, David (February 16, 2011). "New Wave Heroes the Cars Roar Back on Reunion Record". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wcHvLpyE. Retrieved February 19, 2011. 
15. ^ Matheson, Whitney (December 8, 2010). "The Cars are back!". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2010/12/the-cars-are-back/1. Retrieved February 19, 2011. 
16. ^ Reilly, Dan (May 11, 2011). "The Cars 'Move' On Without Tension, Nostalgia and Deceased Bassist". Spinner (website). http://www.spinner.com/2011/05/11/the-cars-move-like-this/. Retrieved May 19, 2011. 
17. ^ ^{a b} "The Cars Ready To Move In May". FMQB. February 4, 2011. http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=2101200. Retrieved February 7, 2011. 
18. ^ Mapes, Jillian (February 18, 2011). "The Cars Reveal First Video, Release Date for 'Move Like This'". Billboard (magazine). http://www.billboard.com/news/the-cars-reveal-first-video-release-date-1005042302.story. Retrieved February 19, 2011. 
19. ^ "Billboard 200 albums chart". Billboard (magazine). May 28, 2011. 
20. ^ Nelson, Elizabeth (September 9, 2011). "The Cars: Out Of Nowhere, An Incandescent Pop Gem". NPR. http://www.npr.org/2011/09/09/140336343/the-cars-out-of-nowhere-an-incandescent-pop-gem. Retrieved September 30, 2011. 
21. ^ Blau, Max (April 4, 2011). "The Cars Announce North American Tour". Paste (magazine). http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/04/the-cars-announce-north-american-tour.html. Retrieved May 19, 2011. 
22. ^ Pedersen, Erik (May 13, 2011). "The Cars at Hollywood Palladium: Concert Review". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cars-at-hollywood-palladium-concert-188324. Retrieved May 19, 2011. 
23. ^ ^{a b c} (2011) Album notes for Move Like This by The Cars [CD (Best Buy edition)]. Hear Music.

External links

• Move Like This - Official Website