There’s something of a history of mental illness in music, a recurring affliction that seems to affect those straddling the thin line between genius and madness. Think Syd Barrett, Daniel Johnston, or Brian Wilson. This is no different for Max Bemis, whose pop punk/indie brainchild Say Anything has seen some success with his unusual and vibrant lyrical imagery that remains anchored deeply in everyday life. During recording of their debut masterpiece, …Is A Real Boy, Bemis suffered full-on paranoid delusions brought on by stress and heavy marijuana use, on top of what was diagnosed as bipolar disorder, and he was admitted to a mental institution. Over the next turbulent year or so, similar incidents occurred that caused the band to cancel a tour, and he was admitted to an institution once more. On their second album, the massive and impulsive double disc In Defense of the Genre, his illness and related experiences, channelled through introverted and dark social humour, was the governing theme.
A lot can change in two years. The latest offering from Bemis and friends, Say Anything, is still an angular and twisting journey through his mind– this time trading in contempt for hope, as the man himself admits on “Mara and Me” – “I can’t define myself through irony and self-deprecation”. The positivity that shines through on each of the thirteen tracks is almost palpable; and you can’t help but smile at the not-so-subtle nods to his influences, undeniably pop-punk at heart but a myriad of other styles, such as the soul horn section and sampled drums on “Less Cute” or the pizzicato strings and processed beats on “Do Better”. Max Bemis, as usual, plays all of the guitar, keyboard and vocal parts while leaving the bass to Alex Kent and the drums to the solid and impressive player Coby Linder, the only other remaining founding member.
Highlights on this album are not difficult to pick out, whether it is the driving “Eloise” or the short and sweet opener “Fed to Death”, and it shows the rate at which both Bemis and the band’s maturity is growing. This is, for lack of a better term, a curious and interesting pop record, and if Say Anything continues to produce records of this quality, they will emerge at the top in their musical circles, always thinking ahead of the pack.
My rating? 7 out of 10.
Say Anything is out now on RCA Records.
