A lot of the scene's aficionados had planned to end their best albums' annual lists with Say Anything's self-titled and fourth full-length (but considered as their third proper release by the band). So, will we end this glorious musical year with Max Bemis and his bandmates reaching our great expectations?
Well, there's a lot to say about this album. First, let's go straight to the point: 'Say Anything' is much poppier than its predecessors. A little bit more conventional. It's less aggressive and there's no true rock and hard-riffing tracks such as the incredible 'Admit it!!!', for instance. The band melted diverse genres: you'll find pop, alt-rock, indie and even some bouncy R&B (the surprising 'Do better', a more sophisticated 'Wow, I can get sexual too') on this record. There is synth, piano, brass and strings. Keyboardist Parler Case has a much greater role on this new material and literally inflames some of the songs (the excellent opener 'Fed to death'). And even when the beats are almost techno-ish ('Crush'd'), their subtility makes them enjoyable. But songs end up being quite unpredictable also because the six-piece didn't lose their freedom to avoid any structures' rules. 'Mara and me' starts with metal riffs followed by funfair-styled keyboard notes to end with subtle piano tones, punk-rock guitars and gang vocals a la 'Slowly passing through a vector'; whereas 'Property' will remind you of The Beatles' 'Oh! Darling' in its intro before getting into the band's raw rock touch with fast power chords and catchy, resontant vocals, interrupted by an hilarious spoken part. Those are the few moments musically reminiscent of their 2004's masterpiece, '...Is a real boy'. Some of the best songs are the kind of tunes with powerful choruses we could find on 'In defense of the genre', like 'Less cute', 'Eloise' and 'She won't follow you'. It is to add that drummer Coby Linder's vocal interventions are great, and even more appreciated as they're not numerous.
Lyrically speaking, I would say it's less impressive than before but it's also more mature. Max Bemis's teenage angst die-hard fans will feel betrayed by some of the stuff he wrote for this album and probably see it as cheesy. Sure, he is less turbulent: he has found both love (he is happily married to Eisley' Sherri DuPree, featured as guest vocals on 'Cemetery') and faith (he's now a Christian) and it is obvious the man is much happier and more settled than before. It may be an insignificant detail, but for the first time there isn't a single swear word on a Say Anything album. This being said, he's still a quirky, unchained frontman. He even mocks labelmates Kings Of Leon on 'Mara and me'! His songwriting style stays sarcastic (the title 'Hate everyone' speaks for itself) and tongue-in-cheek, including many pop culture references, from Wal-Mart to Deborah Messing or Will & Grace. He's as talented as before and has clearly kept his way with words. He uses a lot of alliterations, puns, metaphors while being so honest and explicit at the same time. The ballads are more cute than heart-rending and I'm sure 'Crush'd' will seem like an abominable insult to a lot of fans. The chorus is quite awkward and unexpected giving what we were used to and it's honestly embarassing at first to hear the singer openly dropping his wife's name in the last verse but you may end up moved anyway, as his simple yet deep lyrics are full of love and sincerity.
Here starts a new era for Say Anything. A poppier sound, a new mental state providing different lyrical themes, it is obvious the talented formation will lose as much fans as they will win new ones. This record isn't flawless, there are average tracks ('Young, dumb and stumb' has rather annoying verses with too much effects on Max's voice, fortunately well-compensated by its chorus) and some faux-pas ('Hate everyone' has seen itself being generously accused of ripping off The Clash's 'I fought the law'). But those imperfections are put right by impressive creations as the wonderful closer 'Ahhh... men', an acoustic-driven track leading to an explosion of emotion and sound when the frontman's shouts get replaced by full-band vocals repeating the profound words "Can I lie with you in your grave?". Max Bemis wasn't lying when claiming the album featured both their catchiest and most mature stuff at the same time. 'Say Anything' isn't a groundbreaking, scene-changing record like '...Is a real boy' was but I guess we can't only ask for benchmark albums. It is rather like a shorter and more refreshing 'In defense of the genre', a trim album that takes time to grow on listeners. A solid and well-written effort by a band now confident about having found their way.
Well, there's a lot to say about this album. First, let's go straight to the point: 'Say Anything' is much poppier than its predecessors. A little bit more conventional. It's less aggressive and there's no true rock and hard-riffing tracks such as the incredible 'Admit it!!!', for instance. The band melted diverse genres: you'll find pop, alt-rock, indie and even some bouncy R&B (the surprising 'Do better', a more sophisticated 'Wow, I can get sexual too') on this record. There is synth, piano, brass and strings. Keyboardist Parler Case has a much greater role on this new material and literally inflames some of the songs (the excellent opener 'Fed to death'). And even when the beats are almost techno-ish ('Crush'd'), their subtility makes them enjoyable. But songs end up being quite unpredictable also because the six-piece didn't lose their freedom to avoid any structures' rules. 'Mara and me' starts with metal riffs followed by funfair-styled keyboard notes to end with subtle piano tones, punk-rock guitars and gang vocals a la 'Slowly passing through a vector'; whereas 'Property' will remind you of The Beatles' 'Oh! Darling' in its intro before getting into the band's raw rock touch with fast power chords and catchy, resontant vocals, interrupted by an hilarious spoken part. Those are the few moments musically reminiscent of their 2004's masterpiece, '...Is a real boy'. Some of the best songs are the kind of tunes with powerful choruses we could find on 'In defense of the genre', like 'Less cute', 'Eloise' and 'She won't follow you'. It is to add that drummer Coby Linder's vocal interventions are great, and even more appreciated as they're not numerous.
Lyrically speaking, I would say it's less impressive than before but it's also more mature. Max Bemis's teenage angst die-hard fans will feel betrayed by some of the stuff he wrote for this album and probably see it as cheesy. Sure, he is less turbulent: he has found both love (he is happily married to Eisley' Sherri DuPree, featured as guest vocals on 'Cemetery') and faith (he's now a Christian) and it is obvious the man is much happier and more settled than before. It may be an insignificant detail, but for the first time there isn't a single swear word on a Say Anything album. This being said, he's still a quirky, unchained frontman. He even mocks labelmates Kings Of Leon on 'Mara and me'! His songwriting style stays sarcastic (the title 'Hate everyone' speaks for itself) and tongue-in-cheek, including many pop culture references, from Wal-Mart to Deborah Messing or Will & Grace. He's as talented as before and has clearly kept his way with words. He uses a lot of alliterations, puns, metaphors while being so honest and explicit at the same time. The ballads are more cute than heart-rending and I'm sure 'Crush'd' will seem like an abominable insult to a lot of fans. The chorus is quite awkward and unexpected giving what we were used to and it's honestly embarassing at first to hear the singer openly dropping his wife's name in the last verse but you may end up moved anyway, as his simple yet deep lyrics are full of love and sincerity.
Here starts a new era for Say Anything. A poppier sound, a new mental state providing different lyrical themes, it is obvious the talented formation will lose as much fans as they will win new ones. This record isn't flawless, there are average tracks ('Young, dumb and stumb' has rather annoying verses with too much effects on Max's voice, fortunately well-compensated by its chorus) and some faux-pas ('Hate everyone' has seen itself being generously accused of ripping off The Clash's 'I fought the law'). But those imperfections are put right by impressive creations as the wonderful closer 'Ahhh... men', an acoustic-driven track leading to an explosion of emotion and sound when the frontman's shouts get replaced by full-band vocals repeating the profound words "Can I lie with you in your grave?". Max Bemis wasn't lying when claiming the album featured both their catchiest and most mature stuff at the same time. 'Say Anything' isn't a groundbreaking, scene-changing record like '...Is a real boy' was but I guess we can't only ask for benchmark albums. It is rather like a shorter and more refreshing 'In defense of the genre', a trim album that takes time to grow on listeners. A solid and well-written effort by a band now confident about having found their way.
4/5
Recommanded if you like:
Weezer, Saves The Day, Motion City Soundtrack
Check also:
Two Tongues, Forgive Durden, You, Me, And Everyone We Know
(RCA Records, 2009)
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