Say Anything Band • Page 13

It's one of my least favorite songs they've written and in my opinion feels too much like it was written to be a single than it feels like a natural single (if that makes sense). I always thought "Do Better" should've been the lead for that album. Maybe even "Cemetery."

 

I think "Hate Everyone" is a way better song and single than "Do Better". "Cemetery" is better in every way but I don't think anyone should have their first single be the best song on the album.

 

Yeah, "Cemetery" I could see working based on the power of the song alone, but I totally get not using it for that reason as well.

 

I mean. Hate Everyone is basically radio ready and easily digestible version of what say anything is, so it's a good single in that regard. Do Better is a better song and accomplishes much of the same, but it's not necessarily a better single.

 

Man I'm listening to All My Friends Are Enemies collection, and I forgot how good the Baseball songs sound on it. They're super lofi/fuzzy, but cleaned up a lot.

It's weird hearing that Max was going for that kinda sound on the latest release whilst channeling Cloud Nothings, and Japandroids. Though this actually kinda accomplishes the sonic nature he was going for. Not at all close to those bands of course. Though much better to listen to than IDTII.

 

I Don't Think It Is would have been way more bearable as an EP. There's some decent songs on there (17 Coked Up Speeding and Jiminy being my two favourites) but having to sit through 40 minutes of such a grating sound made even the better songs a lot more forgettable. I think it would also it have probably been a lot better received if it had been released as an EP and not a full length, for the same reason.

 

I'd bet most people would agree for the last two or three albums, honestly.

 

I am kinda into the setlist for this tour. (I'm sure there will be some variance from last night's show, but anything close is cool)

 

Still don't get what people dislike about Hebrews. It's one of the most artistically interesting things Max has done. And Anarchy, My Dear is just an average album overall but it still has some great tunes on it.

 

IARB
S/T
IDOTG
Hebrews
AMD
IDTII

The stuff on All My Friends Are Enemies essentially may as well be a totally different band so it's hard to compare, but I do love all (and I mean all) of that stuff as well.

Also, Self-Titled is, in my opinion, a legitimately great album, with no qualifiers whatsoever. Fight me IRL, m8.

 

Hebrews is really great. Though, I do think it dips a bit in quality after Push.

 

Hebrews would've been one of the most interesting things Max had done if the strings were done properly. When you're basing your entire album around a string section, it can't sound that artificial and spastic and still be appealing to my ears anyways.

Plus, there's a reason this isn't typically done - rock riffs don't sound pleasant when performed on fretless, pitchy strings. Most songs that I would've liked on Hebrews have this screechy quality to them that I can't quite explain. I'm listening to "Judas Decapitation" as I type this, and with guitars it could've had so much more impact as a song.

"Overbiter" is still the only thing I play off of Anarchy. Everything else feels like a sub-par imitation of the self-titled album.

 

Man I was checking out the Dorm Room Demos, and the Menorah Majora EP the other day. Such solid material.

S/T still the best.

 

I loved Hebrews but it took time for me to digest it, get use to no guitars. I'd love to hear a version of it with guitars/keys. Max comes off a little rougher. It felt more honest than the earlier few albums, like he stopped trying to sound how Say Anything sounds also recognizing their place as this niche band instead of trying to be the "greatest band in the world." I thought the theme played well for him.

It's just not as accessible as the albums before it for the cross overs from pop-punk/melodic emo that Say Anything has pulled a huge fan base from. I thought he could have moved forward infused some pop elements back and made a great album but IDTII is mostly trash. I'm just hoping the next album is interesting and listenable.

 

According to this, the next SA LP is a concept album and will be influenced by IARB and IDOTG: Say Anything's Max Bemis Is All Grown Up, But He's Still a Real Boy

It could be interesting to see Max do a "return to form" of sorts after how all over the place he's been the past 3-4 albums.

 

Weren't the past three albums all supposed to be returns to form of some sort? I seem to remember him mentioning ...IARB as an influence during each of their cycles

 

Hahaha, maybe? I don't recall honestly. I know every album since he signed to Equal Vision I've seen random comments like "this is the closest thing to IARB Max had done since IARB". I remember Max mentioning that he thought his lyric writing was closer to IARB on Hebrews during that cycle.

 

Yeah literally all the tweets he would do for Anarchy was "this is like IARB, but with ATDI sound" "Or Bod Dylan mixed with IARB sound".

I did not find either of those to be true.

 

Yeah, I'm not trying to call him or anyone else out haha I like those albums aside from IDTII

 

To be fair the article doesn't really play up that they'll be similar to those albums besides being a concept album from what I read

 

Though he seems to think the lyrics are what people want from an iarb inspired album which is interesting to me

 

just give me a good record that doesn't sound like it was recorded in a tin shed and I will be more than happy

 

I think Max overhyped Anarchy as a "true punk" album or something like that, which was part of why it was disappointing and part of why people expected it to be a return-to-form album. He was always upfront about what Hebrews was so I don't think that was meant as a return-to-form at all. And with IDTII, I think he also made a big deal about how it was another "guitars album," like anyone actually expected him to do a repeat of Hebrews with no guitars on it. So yeah, at least two of the three could have been construed as "return-to-form" albums in the pre-release lead-up.

Either way, as long as he doesn't go with the production and singing style he used on IDTII, I'll be happy. Honestly, I don't even hate that album as much as everyone else does and I'm still convinced that it wouldn't have been received as poorly if not for the sound quality. There are some solid songs on there (Outside of "Varicose Visage," of course. Still scratching my head over that one.)

 

Honestly Hebrews does remind me of IARB a bit in terms of songwriting and lyrics, especially Judas. Plus it has the IDOTG guest vocalists thing. I really like Hebrews.

 

I just want proper execution. There was so much good songwriting on IDTII, and the execution just didn't do it any favours. I feel like his songwriting bottomed out on Anarchy, and has since recovered, now bring back some better production techniques.