Say Anything
Hebrews


4.0
excellent

Review

by Iluvatar USER (168 Reviews)
June 10th, 2014 | 185 replies


Release Date: 2014 | Tracklist

Review Summary: This is the tale of a bearded sloth who debases himself so they can get their rocks off!

It’s become so acceptable to hate Say Anything now, that I don’t think I know anyone who is still a “fan” of the band anymore. Mostly it’s “They used to be really good” or “I like the self titled ironically” but it always devolves to this: Anarchy, My Dear! is apparently the worst thing to ever happen to music… ~ever~. Truthfully, I think I've heard maybe three songs from it and then stopped because, yeah, “the crap rains down” is probably one of the most cringe inducing lyrics ever written. From what I gathered, however, that album seems to be reviled because Max was generally a happy guy and content with not being the cynical asshole he always was. The thing is, Hebrews see’s Max Bemis spend almost its entire lyrical run trying to reconcile his self loathing and bitter cynicism with the fact that he has a wife and kid now that he quite likes, and a fan base that he cannot possibly win with. To top that off, he pretty much just abandoned guitars on this album. I mean, come on, if he had locked himself in a record studio for two weeks, this would be as close to the manic background that Is a Real Boy had that we’d ever manage to get again.

Delving too deeply into Hebrews is sort of pointless, as descriptors like “poppy as hell”, “musically varied and inventive”, and “cutesy and bright to the extreme” will just turn off any old fan immediately and not prepare any newcomers for Bemis’ frankly gross delivery of his lines and rhymes. “Judas Decapitation” is the perfect encapsulation of the record, with discussions on Bemis’ view of his former fan base and its relation to his career and family, while mixing strings in with pop-punk hooks and gang vocals. While there are plenty of up tempo burners to get older fans brought back in, it’s really the slower moments on the album that come out as the most relevant. “Push” is the last song anyone would have ever expected to be written by Say Anything in 2004, a dark and brooding contemplation on what religion means and what it has become in modern culture, that eventually leads into the most genuinely gorgeous section of music Say Anything have ever made, complete with a wonderfully quirky refrain from Aaron Weiss. While the record suffers from the huge dichotomy between bravado Bemis attempting to justify his art to the world and himself and the reflective part of him that just wants to explore themes of love, death and religion, the songs are all so distinctive that there’s never any confusion as to what he is trying to get across.

Is Hebrews the album Say Anything fans have been waiting for since 2007? No. It’s essentially a response to Anarchy, My Dear with much more clarity and purpose. Where that album was bogged down in trying to prove it was a “Say Anything Record”, Hebrews is a wholly new kind of album fr the band. Is it cheesy, over the top and a little too saccharine? Yeah, but the first two of those apply in spades to the first couple Say anything records anyways, and honestly I’d rather have someone singing sweet nothings to me when they’re in their 30’s than try and continue spewing venomous bile that they haven't believed in since their early 20's. If you think Bemis has somehow personally slighted you in some way despite never having interacted with you, avoid this album. You will only become more distraught about your place in some dude in a bands life. If you want to hear some good songs sung by a guy who has a lot of issues with himself, but can still recognize that his self-important bull*** comes second to people he has invested himself heavily in, check out Hebrews.



Recent reviews by this author
Washboard Leo Thomas Louisiana BluegrassCrusades Perhaps You Deliver This Judgement...
Against Me! Transgender Dysphoria BluesLos Campesinos! No Blues
Arcade Fire ReflektorTouche Amore Is Survived By
user ratings (288)
3.3
great
other reviews of this album
TreblinkAlive (4.5)
Years later and, much to the disapproval of his fans, Max Bemis still hasn’t written Flies in All ...

Crymsonblaze (4.5)
Let the flawless burn in hell....

paradox1216 (4)
Say Anything are growing irrelevant, but that hasn't stopped them from making a good record....



Comments:Add a Comment 
mryrtmrnfoxxxy
June 10th 2014


16689 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

i'm a fan hi hanson

NordicMindset
June 10th 2014


25137 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

good album

mryrtmrnfoxxxy
June 10th 2014


16689 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

good review pos



push is wonderful

NordicMindset
June 10th 2014


25137 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

great song

Snake.
June 10th 2014


25353 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

oh shit

Gyromania
June 10th 2014


37377 Comments


first paragraph needed to be said

this is actually quite good

Athom
Emeritus
June 10th 2014


17244 Comments


Fuck you, John.

SeaAnemone
June 10th 2014


21429 Comments


John...

Yuli
Emeritus
June 10th 2014


10767 Comments


Yes. Haven't heard the whole album yet, but yes.

Snake.
June 10th 2014


25353 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

do it joffrey

Mutantsnowstorm
June 10th 2014


514 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I heard nibble nibble, saw Tom Delonge's name in the other artists; I about laughed cause i found it so strange. regardless I found that song real good

theacademy
Emeritus
June 10th 2014


31865 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

YES



THE GOOD GUYS WON!!!

someguest
June 10th 2014


30161 Comments


should have figured staff here was jewish

AnimalsAsSummit
June 10th 2014


6180 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

used to listen to these guys hardcore in 8th grade. will have to check this out

Dev518
June 10th 2014


581 Comments


"It’s become so acceptable to hate Say Anything now..." That's because this band is bad, and this album is bad.

deathschool
June 10th 2014


28857 Comments


This review has me at least curious.

someguest
June 10th 2014


30161 Comments


Shh don't make Hanson start thinking that people read his reviews.

deathschool
June 10th 2014


28857 Comments


Who is Hanson? Is he a big deal around here?

someguest
June 10th 2014


30161 Comments


some jew pop sympathizer

klap
Emeritus
June 10th 2014


12410 Comments


ju-pop



You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy