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There has to be a lot of spittle on Max Bemis’s microphone. The lead singer and songwriter behind one of emo’s most neurotic bands, Say Anything, sings with such wrenching conviction his expectoration practically splatters the mike. But don’t miss the forest for the trees: Just because Bemis holds fast to some of emo’s more unpleasant earnestness doesn’t mean he’s not an ingenious songwriter.
As its title suggests, Say Anything’s second albumcomes to the rescue of its genre not through some lame meta discussion, but by example. Over two discs and 26 tracks, it’s also just as overwhelming as its 2004 debut, …Is a Real Boy (Doghouse), recorded when Bemis was still in high school in Ohio. Here, Bemis finds solace in late-night TV on “The Church Channel,” confronts religious insecurity on “Died a Jew,” has ironic infighting with his bandmates on “Sorry Dudes, My Bad” and—most often—tumbles around inside the laundry machine of love. Producer Brad Wood (Liz Phair’s Exile and Whip-Smart, Pete Yorn) dresses up some of the more formulaic moments in New Wave, string-laden baroque pop, faux country and more. Still, it’s the band’s unpredictable melodic turns that make this defense so winning.
Enemies of emo often complain about its predictable violence, how the same quiet/loud swings in volume end up standing in for real emotional intensity. Say Anything will show you why emo is still relevant—once you wipe the spittle off your glasses.
Say Anything opens for Hellogoodbye at Congress Theater Wednesday 24.
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