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Say Anything - Anarchy, My Dear [Album]

Equal Vision Records | "Say Anything's writing style always seems to have a meaning in contemporary culture, blending brutal honesty and attitude

by LauraPhoto, March 12th, 2012 and has been Read 1780 times.
Last Edited by: Ffion Davies March 13th, 2012.

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Say Anything are an intelligent band. Frontman Max Bemis' metaphorical writing style always seems to have a meaning in contemporary culture, blending brutal honesty and attitude. Anarchy, My Dear is Say Anything's most assertive album, a blend of everything from the ...Is A Real Boy days and the double-album In Defense of the Genre,and it will certainly satisfy the fans, but whether it will reach out to new listeners is perhaps a little doubtful.

Opening track and also lead single 'Burn A Miracle' is bold and direct, containing protest-like lyrics such as “Burn America if you've got soul.” It's a brilliant opener, with every bit of the classic Say Anything that has made them the unique band they are today.

LISTEN: 'Burn A Miracle:'

With a strong vibe of the ...Is A Real Boy on tracks such as 'Night's Song' and actual follow up to 2004's 'Admit It!', 'Admit It, Again'(a song about hating hipster culture), we see Say Anything at their best – quirky, energetic and lyrics which can leave you wondering what the hell goes on inside Max Bemis' head. Their unique way of blending Indie-rock with a Punk rock punch gives Say Anything an added edge, and ironically titled 'Say Anything' has an awesome rapid Punk breakdown which for me, stands out as one of their more powerful songs.

Bemis' exaggerated 'let's-fit-as-many-words-in-a-verse' vocals will be a pain to some listeners, but it can't be said it is Bemis that has got Say Anything to where they are today. The fact is, it has ALWAYS been about Bemis, and his self-loathing on previous records as well as his newly found confidence on Anarchy, My Dear are all struggles in his life which a lot of his fans can relate with. Tracks such as 'Overbiter' prove this, featuring soft and sweet vocals from Bemis' wife, Sherri DuPree with Bemis singing his most subtle and simple words of the album: “I'll give you so much more, cause you believe in me now, yeah you believe in me now.”



The shimmering 'So Good' slows down the album, as a beautiful guitar and simple beat accompanies Bemis' vocals, it gives another dimension to the already broad-minded album. Continuing with the more serene yet passionate tracks is 'Anarchy, My Dear,' containing some gorgeous poetry-like lyrics:

“You coat me in blasphemy, well once I was so blind, the beauty and the spacious skies, with boundaries undefined, you whisper tunes in my ear drums as we lay here entwined, search for love for oh so long but one day I will find you.”

LISTEN: 'So Good'

The production has sometimes been overdone, such as the song 'Sheep' with the unnecessary 80's-esque electronica, and the many different guitar and bass fills complicating what is a simple and plain song. Say Anything soon make up for this in the acoustic-filled 'Peace Out', which acts as an anti-lullaby, a delicate song with bitter words, which is typical of this band.

Popular among bands are the epic long closing tracks and 'The Stephen Hawking' is a seven and a half minute complexed statement song, which you could spend hours analysing. It's a mature effort, and definitely shows how much this band has grown, and indeed the potential they have.



Coming out of a scene where we see so many bands rise and fall in an instant, Say Anything have managed to stay on the horizon since 2004's unconventional yet fantastic ...Is A Real Boy. Anarchy, My Dear has deep and dark concepts, and altogether they have proven they can produce great songs. They have progressed tremendously, but are still lack something which will push them into greatness.

Anarchy, My Dear is out March 13th 2012.

Worth Listening To

• Burn A Miracle
• Say Anything
• So Good
• Anarchy, My Dear