Review Summary: 'EPs like this are why bands like Say Anything exist'
In 2002, well before Say Anything released
…Is A Real Boy and got huge, Max Bemis and Coby Linder recorded this EP, the
Menorah/Majora EP and released it online in order to garner some attention and hopefully be signed to a label. Evidently it worked, as 2 albums and a huge fanbase later, Say Anything are set to release their third LP sometime in 2009. So this was the EP that set it all in motion, but was it really all that great to begin with, or do their future records make this pretty much obsolete?
The first thing to note is that the production is not exactly the greatest. Fans of their later work will undoubtedly be put off by the less than perfect production, especially when it comes to Max’s voice (which is more nasally than ever here), and the tinny sound of some of the instruments. While this does tend to detract away from the enjoyment of some of the songs, it also creates a more warming atmosphere, making them feel as if they were recorded with love, adding a sense of genuine honesty to the emotions Max is conveying. And these emotions are at the heart of this EP, with the gentle, loving acoustic strumming of the opening track,
Walk Through Hell, to the nostalgia in
Try to Remember, Forget, to the carefree rockin’ of
Baseball, But Better.
The tracks themselves all have that patented Say Anything sound, but there is enough variety for this to remain interesting even after repeated listenings. The aforementioned
Try to Remember, Forget is one of the best straight out pop-punk tracks Say Anything have done, and is a great summary of what this EP is as a whole. It’s got great lyrics and a lot of emotion, but there is a simplicity to the instrumentation that will leave some wanting more - and while it's not as great as it's 2 follow-ups, it's still a worthy album in it's own right.
Three and a half stars out of five
- JumpTheF**kUp (15th Review)
