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Say Anything : “In Defense of the Genre”

Say Anything’s ambitious second album “In Defense of the Genre” offers an eclectic series of 27 songs on two discs and with almost two dozen guest stars.  This time around, front man Max Bemis relies on raw honesty instead of the usual clever metaphors. Don’t be thrown off by the first single “Baby Girl, I’m A Blur”, the catchiest but least “Say Anything” song on the album.  “In Defense of the Genre” as a whole provides a range of song types – acoustic ballads, angry songs, and eccentric beats all driven by an assortment of real emotions.

Bemis’ lyrics create a narrative arch of what every 20 something goes though: love, life, mental illness, ups and downs, drugs, booze, responsibilities and internal struggles. Similar to an onion each song has many layers illustrating the complexity of life. These issues are magnified and cleverly worded to become poetic angst. There is a slight irony and humor in Bemis’ strong, emo-rific lyrics.  This album seems to be emotionally fueled by a bad breakup.  Songs likes “Spores” and “An Insult to the Dead” are littered with bitter feelings, and sometimes, regretful words to an ex lover. While illustrating these things, they are also parody – making the album an ironic twist of melody and words. Maybe the purpose of Say Anything’s music is to be relatable, not sellable.

Max Bemis is also accompanied by many guest singers that include Matt Skiba, Gerard Way, Chris Carrabba, Adam Lazarra, Pete Yorn, Hayley Williams and a whole bunch more. The feeling they create is as a group of friends who just decide to get up on stage and sing with the band.  This adds to the interactive and strong group mentality that their music exudes.  Their live shows are a constant back and forth of energies – Max singing to the crowd and the crowd singing back almost as to say, “WE CAN RELATE!”

At first listen many may be disappointed coming from their last album, “…Is A Real Boy”. A big concern was the lack in “whoa’s”, “hey’s” and “yeah’s”.  It came off as a generic emo album – which is a category I would never before place them in.  But upon further listening, its characteristic infectious beats, great one-liners and enormous sing along potential shines though. These aspects make this band and album an important asset to any good party mix. I can picture my friends and I huddled together belting out lyrics like “If only you’d start breathing/I’d court you exclusively/With my shovel/ I’m pounding earth until suddenly I see.” While it is not as instantly attention grabbing as their last album, “In Defense of the Genre” could still get cynical partygoers pumped and on their feet.

Tweegee Articles

Worst Hair:
1.    Amy Winehouse – She has a literal beehive, who knows what could be living in there!  Its fine to have hair that is a retro style, Gwen Stefani does this perfectly.  But to have hair that actually looks like its FROM the 1950’s is alarming!

2.    Britney Spears – She has sported the dramatic shaved head, greasy messed up buns and a gaggle different cheap looking hair extensions – all bad!

3.    Donald Trump – The world’s richest and worst comb over ever.

4.    Russell Brand – The recent VMA’s host has hair that looks like half bed head, the other attacked by a crimping iron straight out of the 80’s – possibly hair’s worst decade.

5.    Clay Aiken – No matter how much your flatiron or dye your hair, it can’t hide nerd!

Worst Dressed:
1.    Britney Spears – Ms. Spears seems to be confused between bed wear and street wear, often sloppy and mismatched, and notoriously wears skirts too short paired with Uggs all year round. Oh, and Britney, Halloween is only one day in October – so save your wigs for then!

2.    Mariah Carey – Needs to wear age appropriate clothing. Short shorts are not ok for anyone; let alone a 38 year old.

3.    Amy Winehouse – Not caring and not showering are never in fashion.

4.    Mary Kate Olsen – BoHo style? More like BoNo homeless.  Oversized clothing drowns her tiny frame and ridiculously large sunglasses are more clown than chic.

5.    Fergie – There is a pretty thick line between costume and clothing – Fergie might need to get her eyes checked.

Agree or disagree?  Or maybe there is a celebrity that we forgot, let us know your opinion!

Bored and on a Budget?

Bored but don’t have a lot of money to spend on entertainment? Here are some cheap and free things to do without breaking the bank.

Use your local library! – They have a ton of books, CDs and DVDs to borrow.  Libraries are a completely free source, unless you get a late fee!

Bookstores are a great way to spend and afternoon. – There are usually a coffee shop to get a $2 cup of joe and look through magazines and books.  Most stores let you read books without buying them.

Be on the look out for free days at local museums. – Most museums have at least one day a month where they have free admission. Find out when that day is and go!

Local Parks – Spend the day chatting with friends out in the sunshine and fresh air.  Play on swing sets or start up a game of frisbee.

Pick up a new hobby. – Knit, crochet, quilt or sew, draw, color or paint.  These are fairly cheap hobbies that are time consuming and productive!

Spring Cleaning – Organize a drawer or closet.

Play games – Board and card games are a great way to spend time with friends and is a cheap form of entertainment.  Games stretch your mind and help you bond. Monopoly, Scrabble, Life, Cranium, Pictionary…the list goes on and on.

Do all the free things that you can only do in the season -  This means that you should have a snowball fight in the winter, jump into puddles in the rainy season and take advantage of the chance to safely suntan when it’s warm outside. Celebrate the seasons without spending lots of money.

What are some things that you and your friends to do pass the time on a small budget?

Kim Glam Helps With Stress

I get a lot of questions that concern living well and avoiding stress.  These are common issues, so I have devised a list of tips to help.

1. Power Naps.  Student have very busy schedules between family and friends, school and activities.  To avoid burning out, find the time to take short naps between activities.  Lack of sleep can cause a drop in productivity, find it hard to concentrate and even cause more stress.

2. Exercise.  This is the best way to stay healthy and to work out stress physically.  Run out your anger, try yoga to clear your mind.  After a good exercise session you will feel energized and fit.

3. Stay Organized.  Keep a planner with all of your homework assignments, activities, scheduled things with friends.  This will ensure you don’t forget anything and you have your life in order.

4.Eat Right.  Junk food can be heavy and weigh you down. A piece of fruit will give you more energy and nutrition so your body can operate at full speed.
5. Music and Writing.  Music is calming and writing in a journal is the best way to vent about life stresses.  These are personal activities to do that is a time out during your day.  Take the stress off your shoulders and put it in your journal.

6. Positive Thinking.  An optimistic way of thinking can actually lead to better things. When things are really bad it is hard to see the good in it but remember that every cloud has a silver lining, there is a light at the end of every tunnel.  The “Yes I Can” way of thinking can pull you through tough times, improve relationship and even your health.

For more articles I’ve written for Tweegee, please visit www.Tweegee.com.  My username is JenniferK but I also commonly write as the voice of KimGlam.