Fans of the band Say Anything know of the genius Max Bemis presents in his music and lyrics. The band has gone from indie label darlings to the majors, and now back to the indies, recently signing to Equal Vision records. On their newest record Anarchy, My Dear, Max Bemis has said: “Anarchy, My Dear is our first attempt to write a ‘true’ punk record; it’s a collection of songs about subverting society and destroying the boundaries humankind has placed upon ourselves both physically and in our minds. Coincidentally, it also happens to be the first record we’ve made in years where we had total freedom to explore our ‘edgier’ side and present a raw picture of what the band is truly about onstage.” In those terms, Say Anything have created a punk rock masterpiece, to be adored for all time.

Anarchy, My Dear is nothing like the bands previous albums; their first two records (…Is a Real Boy, In Defense of the Genre) were punk-pop concept records, showing how bold, creative and loud the band could be. Max Bemis’ lyrics often evoke a lyrical sense, of someone beyond his time, like a combination of Kurt Cobain, Bob Dylan, and Jim Morrison slathered on a bun, complete with bacon (cuz everything is better with bacon). The band’s major label debut definitely felt the sting of creative control, and suffered for it.

On this latest album, however, the band are back, and in full control. This time around, the band gives the middle finger to “the man” per say. Instead of focusing on their usual pop-punk formula, the band relies mostly on polished, layered guitars, crisp, cleaner delivery, and chaotic lyrics that wrap itself in a budding romance like a Paul McCartney song.

Tracks like “Say Anything” show us how far the character in that song is willing to go for love bellowing: “condemn my race to genocide if it meant that I could lay with you/I’d listen to a piercing squeel on a loop to make this real with you.” The lyrics get decidedly more intense and tragic from there. The first single, “Burn a Miracle” calls out the phonies and plays on the title of the track in the chorus taking it from “Burn a Miracle” to “Burn America.” The fourth track on the record, “Admit It Again” calls out all the hipster bands and musicians and has the albums favorite lyrics for me: “Don’t wanna hear how the latest Rihanna single is a post-modern masterpiece,” sung as Bemis’ is reaching the end of his rope. The song calls out his band in a way; “You were listening to my band in 2004/though you claim you were reared on the Stooges/your facade is a line that you feed to anorexic actresses.”

The brilliance in this record is that it doesn’t just break all of your expectations for a new Say Anything record, it kidnaps them, beats them around the body with phone books, and makes you wonder why your anus hurts after a routine dental check-up. The female back up vocals are a nice addition to this album as well, which is new to the Say Anything sound. The album overall, serves as the bands finest achievement and as the lyrics go, they’ve definitely “usurped “the popular kids table.”

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listening Co-efficient: Active Listen

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