In defense of this album
by Shawn Ashley
It’s been three years since Los Angeles punk rock band Say Anything has released an album.
So when fans of the band found out that they had been working on a new album due to come out in October of 2007 they were excited.
October is now here, and the album is out. How would the album compare to the band’s previous releases?
Fans have a lot to look forward to.
The album titled In Defense of the Genre, is a double album featuring 27 tracks. The album also features an impressively large list of guest vocalists.
A few of the guests vocalists include:
- Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday
- Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance
- Hayley Williams of Paramore
- Anthony Raneri of Bayside
- Chris Carrabba also known as Dashboard Confessional
Since the album is on two discs, one worry that many fans had was that it wouldn’t have enough variety.
This is not the case, as the album features a very nice mix of punk rock, electronic, and even a few songs that seem to be influenced by Broadway musicals.
Starting off the with song Skinny Mean Men, the album draws the listener in, and lets you know what to expect for the rest of the album.
The next song No Soul is not quite like any from any of Say Anything’s previous releases. It features some synthesizer work done by DJ Swamp, and it almost sounds like something you’d hear in a dance club. Although it’s very different than most of their other songs, it somehow fits perfectly well in this album.
Halfway through the first disc the song The Church Channel tells the true tale of lead singer Max Bemis and his struggle with bipolar disorder.
The title In Defense of the Genre is very appropriate for this album, as the band has managed to take punk rock and drag it down roads that have not yet been traveled. Take your expectations of punk rock and throw them out the window.
If you were a fan of …Is A Real Boy, then this album will not disappoint. The band has taken what they did with that release and taken it a step forward.
This is one album not to miss.