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This is Forever

A Reviewer | USA | 11/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Say Anything emerged into the public eye with Is a Real Boy, a very experimental album with bizarre, sometimes totally self-indulgent lyrics that were also very cool and interesting surrounded in punk hooks and musical experimentation. Their followup, the 2-disc In Defense of the Genre, written by a newly sober Max Bemis, featured much more to-the-point lyrics in yet another incredibly-written album that, while not every song was a winner, looking at it as a whole, was pretty much a masterpiece. It was a look into the man's head as he went through a very dark time of his life dealing with his mental health, an abusive relationship, and his recovery.



And now, we have the 3rd CD, the self-titled Say Anything, and this is their easiest to listen to, and most 'to the point' CD yet. Featuring no profanity whatsoever (a first for this band, which typically loaded their songs with curse words,) clocking in at 46 minutes (noticeably shorter than Is a Real Boy and around 40 minutes (!) shorter than In Defense of the Genre) and featuring a much more up-beat tone, this CD seems like a completely new version of the band. Max Bemis was married last year and his love for his wife dominates the CD, (as has his re-affirmed faith in a higher power, for better or worse) resulting in much less bitterness in the tracks.



But this is still Say Anything, there's no doubt about that. The lyrics are still extremely relatable, funny, challenging, deep, and pretty much any praise I could possibly give them. Max's voice is the same way, and he continues to make this band one of the genre's most innovative and fun.





Fed to Death; 5/5; The intro to this CD, and one of my favorite songs on it. The second this comes on, Say Anything fans will feel right at home. Made me wish the CD was still going to be called This is Forever, the originally planned name for it. Lyrics somewhat metaphorical and very Is A Real Boy.



Hate Everyone; 4/5; Say Anything does an old-school punk-style song that's very catchy and pretty funny. Reminds me a bit of the Clash's I Faught the Law. Not necessarily my favorite type of SA song but this one eventually grew on me.



Do Better; 5/5; This is...different. Very unique sound and catchy. Like most songs on the CD the lyrics are great. A perfect example of Say Anything sounding like nobody else.



Less Cute; 5/5; another song that sounds upbeat and almost jazzy during the verses, and the chorus is extremely catchy. Pretty much a perfect SA song. Especially as "Everytime I see your face I die inside," is sang in the background at the song's final chorus.



Eloise; 5/5; the only song on the CD about the breakup of the bad relationship from Defense of the Genre, this song pretty much closes that out. Great, powerful song that's, like almost everything else on this CD, very catchy. More downbeat than the rest, but still fits in very well.



Mara and Me; 5/5; This is what I'm talking about. In true Say Anything style, this song has several completely different parts, each one awesome. The lyrics in this song are some of my favorites on the CD and Max's delivery of them is perfect.



Crush'd; 4/5; This song about Max's wife, Sherri DuPree, would be a bit corny coming from anyone else but the vocals are delivered with such sincerity that it really makes the song good. The production is highly techno'ed up, and according to the band's website, is meant to "satirize Justin Timberlake and Lil Wayne, while at the same time evoking a sweaty, Jewish Coldplay." There you go.



She Won't Follow You; 5/5; another very catchy, fast, and fun song. Not much to say here except to say it's once again Say Anything perfection.



Cemetary; 2/5; Sorry, just not a fan at all of this one. Doesn't sound at all like Say Anything. It's a song that deals with love and death, yet while Crush'd managed to avoid being corny, this song to me falls into that trap. This song just doesn't feel like it belongs on a Say Anything CD. Not a terible song, I'm just not a big fan of it.



Property; 3/5; the most "In Defense"-sounding song on here, angry and fast, and pretty funny too. That said, there's just something about it that I find it hard to get into. Not impossible, I listen to it a lot and it's not a bad song, I just don't think it manages to be great. Could have used some cursing, too, as shallow as that sounds.



Death for my Birthday; 4/5; a new sound for Say Anything, at first I wondered what I was listening to but it gets more and more interesting as it goes. I really like the ending.



Young Dumb And Stung; 3/5; not a fan of the verses (it reminds me of a montage in a bad 1980's sports movie) but the chorus is great and the part about the "douche best friend" pretty much makes the song.



Ahhh Men; 5/5; At first I wasn't a huge fan of this song, but once I read the lyrics it pretty much all clicked. The song's Max singing about our place in this vast universe, his vision of God watching all this craziness and his vision of faith and all that. Definitely the most spiritual song on the album and it's very interesting lyrically. Thankfully, though, it's obscured and subtle, not at all in your face or condescending like these songs can be, it's just a man thinking about his life and why we're all here. I'm a little disappointed that the lyrics were toned down a bit for the CD; when Max originally teased this song accoustically last year it went, "I've read the holy books, Lord knows they bite," which he changed to "at writing holy books, Lord knows we bite." Meh, just nitpicking, I guess, but hopefully this isn't an issue of religion beginning to affect the band. Musically it's got a more accoustic and stripped-down sound to it than much of the CD, though it then turns more complicated at the end as the tempo changes and drums are added, and Max gets to yell a bunch of things as the background vocals ask, "Can I lie with you in your grave?" Definitely the most interesting song on the CD, mainly for its lyrics. As far as a CD closer, it's not in the same league as Plea (from Defense) but it's still a great way to end.





Verdict; while it's hard at this point to decide if any of the songs on here will have the replayability of the likes of Plea or Spores, (which over the last couple years I've played endlessly) and while I at times missed the swearing and aggression, this is still an excellent CD that shows a band and lead singer/songwriter at the top of their game. One of the best CD's I've heard in a very long time and easily up with Say Anything's other great works. Max once again delivers some of the best lyrics in modern rock and the band keeps up perfectly. Amazing."

One of his best

S. funk | 11/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is incredible. Every song is amazing. Bemis keeps his sarcastic inflection and kicks more ass even than on In Defense of The Genre. Best songs are Eloise, Less Cute and Property. BUT ALL ARE 5 STAR SONGS!!! Trust me, worth it."

Quite amazing.

K. Gent | 11/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a MAJOR Say Anything fan. This album has made my life better since I downloaded it last night.



Holds true to Say Anything Max Bemis style, but introduces a new approach to their sound by adding new beats and instrument usage. I especially love the use of a 40s-romantic-Prom slow dance-ish intro to the song "Property".



My favorite songs on the album so far are: "Hate Everyone", "Do Better", "Less Cute", "Crush'd", "Property", and "Death for My Birthday"



I LOVE IT!"