Say Anything - "The Church Channel" (2007)

I featured Say Anything in a previous post and talked all about front-man and mastermind Max Bemis and the intriguing/crazy songs that he writes. It’s been three years since Say Anything’s debut …Is a Real Boy and their fans had probably begun to wonder what the hold up was. Lots of things have happened including Bemis being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and being in and out of mental hospitals and rehab facilities. Now, he and the band have come back with an epic sophomore album entitled In Defense of the Genre. The album features a staggering 27 songs spread out over 2 discs. I’ve heard of bands writing 30 to 40 songs when recording an album and then trimming it down to 10 or 12 but Say Anything just decided to release all of them. I guess it kind of makes up for being off the radar for so long, but with so many songs you run the risk of some of them being filler. I’ll get to that in a minute but let me start by saying that this record is not for the faint of heart. Bemis’ lyrics are nothing short of crass and can sometimes be construed as offensive and most of the time that’s the point. There are few songs that don’t have profanity. I should also note that the “edited” version isn’t entirely edited, some things are still there. The music on In Defense of the Genre makes the title a bit ironic because Say Anything doesn’t represent any definitive genre on this album. Yes, there’s a heavy punk influence but some of the melodies wouldn’t be out of place on Broadway. Sometimes a song changes styles more than twice in the course of three minutes, making for an interesting listening experience. Bemis reached out to his friends in the emo/punk scene and we get to hear some great guest vocals from people like Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional, Chris Conley of Saves the Day and Pete Yorn, just to name a few. It’s true that In Defense of the Genre could probably be pared down to about 14 or 15 tracks that would make a really solid album, but it’s cool that we get to hear Bemis and Co. try a few different things. Today’s song is my immediate favorite on the record. “The Church Channel” recalls Bemis’ time in a mental hospital and gives us some of the best lines on the record such as: “They let us play with markers but I keep trying to draw infinity and I read the Bible to pass the time.” The bit about the Bible might explain the recurrence of religious imagery throughout the record. This song also features some excellent guest vocals from Hayley Williams of Paramore. It’s hard to say if I think you’ll enjoy this record. I can’t really say that I fully enjoy yet. It will take a few listens and I probably won’t listen to some of these songs more than a couple times. However, if you’re up for a challenge and aren’t easily offended, take a chance on it.


Say Anything - "The Church Channel"