Say Anything - Hate Everyone

There's a drive within all bands to make the charts. The perfect strategy for this used to be: writing a great song, creating a unique identity, and giving something fresh and new to whatever genre you called yourselves.

Obviously numerous hip-hop artists have proved this theory wrong, but generally it holds. The best artists will hit the charts with the draw of legitimate music, focusing on quality instead of ridiculous flash appeal. Yet there's no hard and fast rule nowadays, and these over-produced, shallow songs (which will never be remembered in 10 years by the way) still climb their ways to the top with ease.

Enter Say Anything, a band raunchy enough to catch everyone's attention years ago with well-written songs like "Alive With the Glory of Love," "Woe," and "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too". And catchy enough to keep us holding on with the ambitious album In Defense of the Genre. Now Say Anything has a self-titled album coming, and their new single "Hate Everyone" just got released on iTunes. And, to validate that little exposition earlier, I'm getting scared that Say Anything is on the border of becoming one of these shallow, over-produced groups.

That's not to say this song will do them wrong, on the contrary they'll probably be more popular than ever. Because this song is dirty, extremely catchy, and retains lead singer Max Bemis's speaking-while-singing expertise so well. You can tell he loves singing the song, and every single line is quirky and distinctly Say Anything. In fact, the more I listen to it the more I know I'm gonna eventually be singing it everywhere I go. And I'll probably even recommend it to a lot of people, because I respect this band too much to just write them off. It just...doesn't really change anything for me, like a good song should. I should feel progression and maturity, when really all I'm hearing is a writer who's finally getting a chance at stardom.

Obviously their album will elaborate and maybe prove me wrong. I hate extrapolating so much negativity from one song, especially when ...Is A Real Boy is one of my favorite records of all time, and even their single "Baby Girl, I'm a Blur" was one of (in my opinion) the weaker songs on their latest album and the rest of it was fantastic. But I'm pretty sure "Hate Everyone" will come and go. Hopefully it won't take Say Anything with it.

Top 15 Songs of My Summer

Well, I'm off to school on Wednesday. So as I was driving back home from U of I today, I thought it'd be a fun exercise to go through my summer and list off my favorite music. Today's list is the Top 15 Songs of My Summer! It was going to be 10...in fact I had 10 down but decided a few bands really had to make the cut. So you get 5 bonus songs, and I recommend every single one of them.

This doesn't necessarily mean that these songs came out this year, but I'm just going by what I listened to the most. There are some weird genre clashes here, so there's a good chance you'll find something interesting. Sorry it's long.

TOP FIFTEEN SONGS OF MY SUMMER:

15. A Love Like Pi - Innocent Man
This song epitomizes the guilty pleasures of power-pop. While abusing synthesizers and slammin' guitars, A Love Like Pi have ingrained this song in my head all summer.

14. Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
It goes without saying that Fleet Foxes are outstanding, and Ragged Wood is my current favorite song to spin. Complete with forest imagery and stunning vocals, it's a beauty.

13. Passion Pit - The Reeling
Passion Pit is top on my list of bands that we're gonna look back on and laugh off as a 2000's cliche. However, that may never stop me from loving The Reeling, a falsetto anthem buried in an electronic dream.

12. So Many Dynamos - New Bones
This genre is hard to explain...So Many Dynamos produces a dance-y sort of math rock that I find irresistible. And with Aaron Stovall's confident, unique voice, New Bones is a solid song worth trying out.

11. TV On the Radio - Shout Me Out
"Lord if you've got lungs, come on and shout me out." These are the first lyrics I ever heard from TV on the Radio, and that made their performance of Shout Me Out at Lolla this year one of my favorite moments. Diverse with a jazzy, simple electro sound. And a breakdown that really shouts.

10. Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye
Thanks to Skala for this one. The Silversun Pickups are becoming one of my newest favorite bands, and it all started with Lazy Eye. It's a 6-minute long epic that starts off subtle but leads into one of my favorite yelling moments ever. It's an indie staple, in my opinion.

9. Forgive Durden - The Exit / The End and The Beginning
These are 2 songs, but they're part of Thomas Dutton's exceptional story-album Razia's Shadow, which features a delicious sampling of alternative cameos. These songs tell a great story and feature P!ATD's Brandon Urie, Dan Young of This Providence, and Greta Saltpeter of the Hush Sound.

8. Manchester Orchestra - Pride
This should be #1, but I really listened to it more in the spring. Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra is a genius, and this is the song I sing on almost every drive. Best alternative song of the year in my opinion.

7. Right Away, Great Captain - Devil Dressed in Blue
Another song written by Andy Hull, except RA,GC is an acoustic, folky band based on old sea-captains' journals. This song I've played endlessly on guitar this summer, I love it so much.

6. Phoenix - 1901
Phoenix has been getting hype recently, and they deserve it. Legitimate music with punchy electronic work and a solid beat. My pick for this song though goes to the vocals, so light and easy to listen to that 1901 becomes extremely fun at every occasion.

5. Astronautalis - The Wondersmith And His Sons
Hip-hop? Seriously? If you like alternative/indie, or music with a point, Astronautalis is your man. Rapper Andy Bothwell has turned me from hating rap to an avid fan, singing on the antics of a family with illicit history. So good.

4. Kevin Devine - Brother's Blood
Favorite live song of the summer, hands down. Kevin Devine sings politically-charged anthems with simple structure yet more power than any of these other listed bands. He's serious, intense, and that screaming bit at the end is pure gold.

3. The Dear Hunter - He Said He Had a Story
Casey Crescenzo is a genius. The man is on his 3rd installment of this epic story for The Dear Hunter, a genre-bending alternative romp through World War I. This song carries very well the loss-of-innocence theme from previous albums, and sounds excellent while making me feel positively dirty for singing along.

2. Discovery - Osaka Loop Line
Discovery is an off-shoot of members from Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend, and they've created an over-the-top electronic/synthesized masterpiece in their LP titled LP. Osaka Loop Line is a cute story of a train ride, so perfect because you can tell the lead singer is smiling the whole time through.

1. Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland 1945
When I hear Jeff Mangum say "one, two, onetwothreefour," I cannot keep myself calm. Holland 1945 is a distorted mess of eclectic lyrics and Mangum's wails. From each hauntingly beautiful, visceral phrase to the ending chorus of trumpets, this song demands your attention and reminds us why Neutral Milk Hotel is one of alternative music's defining bands.

The Morning Light

Today's recommendation:
The Morning Light - The Morning Light


So by now you've read "The Morning Light"...4 or 5 times on this page. They're driving their name across, sorry about that. And it's a good name too...which was not my initial opinion. But their music fits the name "morning light" better than anything.

The Morning Light have created a sweet and poppy experience with their self-titled album, which was released quite a bit ago, though I never really got to brag about how much I've enjoyed them. They bring the always-fresh lightness of Mae or Copeland and add a little energetic beat to create a truly unique experience. It's the type of music that had to be a joy to write, because it's just so happy. Production is solid, and the energy is perfect for the summer.

It's hard for me even to choose a few songs out of the collection to recommend. I'd say I love the punch of "Brand, New, Friends," the rich dynamics of "Virgina," and the overly-catchy "Clouds". I could listen to this album, especially the first 6 tracks, any time I need a pick-me-up or it's just a sunny day.

Recommended for fans of Relient K's "High of 75," Mae, and smiling. The Morning Light are by no means on the menu if you're looking for serious music, but I'd say they're more than just your guilty pleasure band. If you're not singing along after a while, then you're not relaxed enough. I wouldn't be surprised if they became more popular over the next few years.

On an unrelated note, my blog is now up and running! I should hopefully update this a lot, so if you hate this music I'm sure you'll find something to like eventually. I'm a man of wide musical taste.