Say Anything to make me happy

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Say Anything to make me happy

May 24th 2006 03:08

Artist Review

I was browsing through music videos yesterday when I discovered a band I had not heard in months - Say Anything and, as soon as I saw the clip, I rediscovered my love, or at least a portion of my love, for them. I mentioned this band a while ago in the context of the up-and-coming Dashboard Confessional tour in the US, but I think it's finally time that I review them.

Not alone on this one

I'm not really sure what genre you would place them under. Not really pop-punk or alternative, but a melodic punk in a similar strain to Presidents of the USA without that over-the-top humour that caused them to lose any and all credibility as a band. Rather, Say Anything replace that humour with a pure and utter cynicism which no one can escape. Listen to "Say Anything is a Real Boy" and be warned - you will be offended. If not by the assumptions made throughout the album, then the last track, Admit It, a purposefully hypocritical assessment of modern Western culture, targeting any and all between the ages of 15 and 25 and the various stereotypes we all inevitably belong to.

Their 2004 Debut

The songs are in no way masterpieces - the band is about as good as any amateur punk band attempting to make it big, and the riffs are nothing truly original. But perhaps that's the magic of it all - they are so damn raw, not caring about polish or excellent production that the lyrics and music combine to form this concentrated cynicism that is far separate from the overhyped depression of emo bands and yet still retains that desperation. Lead Singer Max Bemis has that certain coarseness about his voice that portrays everything he wants to say without having to use anything unecessary. And of course, the harmonies, a jumble of singers similar enough to Max Bemis' voice in order to complement him but at the same time keep that whole feel of singing together in a pub.

In essence, these are pub songs. Each song seems to have that bridge, that section that is totally and wholly separate from the song in which the melody is plain and simple and easy enough to sing too, allowing the harmonies to take the lead, as if they were indeed in a pub together with their beer of choice. Everything from the bridge to the lyrics, to the faint 19th-century-saloon honkytonk sound in Woe has that rawness about it that many bands simply do not have these days. And I love it.

Of course, the band is not something you can listen to for any extensive period of time. During my first instance of love for them, I would listen to them constantly, day and night until I knew the bridge, chorus and lyric of every song. When I grew sick of them I realised that the songs are really depressing. From Yellow Cat Slash Red Cat which documents people's loneliness, to The Futile which is pretty self-explanatory, to

Admit It which simply makes you feel inferior, the band has that effect. There is the one exception to this, though - the second last track I want to Know Your Plans. It's a simple acoustic ballad reminiscent of a toned down Dashboard Confessional, that combines that pub harmony feeling with a addictive melody and epic buildup that conjures up all the right emotions

Unlike so many bands out there that make money off their quasi-depressive songs, Say Anything really has the potential to have that effect. Nevertheless, the melodies are catchy, the voice rather unique, and the pub aspect simply adddictive. As Max Bemis moves further away from his testosterone-filled high school days, maybe the songs will be happier - then again, maybe not. I mean Chris Carrabba has been at it for years now and he's still got that whole emo thing going.

Say Anything to make me happy

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