Say Anything ...Is Committed (May 24th, 2024) • Page 41

No song makes me more irrationally angry than Fired off OA. Clearly this was a song shop song (let’s be real, probably a dozen peoples song shop song). Fucking hate it.

 

IDOTG was never good.

outside of real boy, the only SA songs I can tolerate are on the self titled (Do Better, Less Cute)

 

IDOTG showed the cracks but I couldn't do it after "the Walmart version of you"

 

I only like S/T, tbh I don’t even know why I followed him all these years lol. It’s only been disappointment after disappointment

 

I liked parts of the first Two Tongues record that came out around the same time as S/T if I remember well but yeah… it’s doubly tainted

 

I got into them right around the time IARB was reissued with WARB in 2006 or so, if I remember correctly… maybe early 2007, I was in 8th grade at the time. the lead up to IDOTG was one of the more memorable ones of my whole life, in terms of my anticipation and obsession with them at that point. I would download every new pre-release track to my PSP (lol) and just wear them out. I was so into IDOTG when it dropped that I honestly may have taken it over IARB/WARB for a period of time. I had also been let down by a couple of my favorite bands’ new releases at that time (probably the biggest being FOB — IOH and MCS — EIIKM, both of which I have grown to really love over time), so it felt so good to have a band put out something new and have it not only live up to my expectations but actually exceed them.

between IDOTG and S/T my tastes had started to expand and I was getting very into artists such as Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead, and though I had started to drift away from music of “the scene”, there were still a few bands I kept listening to and anticipating new music from. Say Anything was chief among those bands, and so I remember obsessing over the acoustic videos of Max playing Cemetery, Ahh Men, and Lowman, I really felt like they were going to knock it out of the park again. but then when they dropped Hate Everyone, I was not super enthused by it… didn’t despise it but it definitely wasn’t anything I hoped for from them. and when the full album dropped, at first I absolutely fucking hated it, I clowned on it for essentially being what I considered a “sell out moment” for them. I sort of came around on some of that album but to this day I think it’s very spotty and don’t really understand why a subset of fans love it so much. I still really don’t like the production of the record and how squeaky clean some of it sounds.

I wasn’t fully out with S/T obviously, but it’s where the cracks really started to form for me and my expectations for future releases were not high. Anarchy was promised as a return to form, even making a big deal of the return to Tim O’Heir as producer, and Burn a Miracle actually surprised me a bit in a good way as a single, but the whole album landed with a thud for me, mostly middling with a couple slight bright spots but even more that just baffled me. I was also getting more and more turned off with Max as a person.

Hebrews came out and I was surprised that I found some of the song ideas to be actually pretty good, but the production kneecapped them and made it something I couldn’t really stand to return to. an interesting idea, poorly executed. I have never even bothered to give IDTII a full listen, it was so universally despised on release and the snippets I heard didn’t convince me to give it a shot.

but when Oliver Appropriate came out, it was interesting because I actually liked the album as a whole more than probably anything since S/T, even if I didn’t think it was like great or anything. but the manifesto and Max’s behavior in general around that point cancelled out any positive feelings I had for OA, and that was the point I would say I was fully done with SA and Max in terms of checking out new releases. I’ve peeped singles here and there out of morbid curiosity but nothing beyond that. I will still throw on IARB/WARB from time to time, and I still love it when I do, and IDOTG to a slightly lesser extent as well, but even then it’s kind of a bittersweet experience.

sorry this post turned out way longer than I intended but the prompt had me really analyzing and reminiscing about my fandom of the band through the years.

 

Tldr

 

Happy for you bro or sorry that happened.

 

I haven't listened to IDTT since it came out but I recall it having the same issues as Hebrews production wise. Some great ideas among the mess but sonically it didn't give what he was trying to achieve and just sounded sloppy instead. By that point, with that artwork and following one of his crowdfunding fiascos, it feels like Max was already starting to take the piss.

Ditto regarding Oliver Appropriate, I remember feeling it was his most fully realized album since S/T but the manifesto left such a weird taste in my mouth I stopped there.

 

I get that you’re doing a bit but I really resent being called “bro” lol

 

I still like the really sincere stuff on IDOTG like “Young Tutor” and “The Church Channel” (Hayley has the MVP feature on here) and in general the idea of an album trying to be a real snapshot of the era.

But even back then, Max couldn’t help himself and had every other song be some kind of “Look how funny/subversive I am” kind of song that makes it tough to revisit.

 

You know what it is, I didn't feel like searching for the image so I was trying to quote the meme from memory, and I thought it was "happy for you bro" and not "happy for you tho".

My bad.

 

Also the funny subversive stuff now would be looked back cutely if we weren't in this constant flip flop of should I be pissed at him cause it doesn't seem like he's a functioning adult or should I be empathetic because these mental illness struggles. And I dunno.

His stuff is so personal, that what's going on does matter to the music to me as I listen. As my former fav band really, if he got it semi-together publicly it'd be much easier to revisit and enjoy for me personally.

Also, I like long passionate takes that are directly related to music discussion and come from a real place. Jus sayin.

 

Contrary to my post, I actually did read the entire thing, and I hope it doesn't discourage you from doing so again in the future.

 

It's such an overused meme at this point that it gives me reddit/facebook vibes when I see it these days. By that, I mean that particular vibe of people in these places only posting ragebait, snappy one-liners and memes instead of earnestly engaging with the content. Can get old quick

Though I do get its use against a random avatarless user writing a novel to defend an abuser out of nowhere

 

I must have missed something

 

I assume Crisp is just offering an example of when an appropriate time is to use that meme, not something currently relevant to what's happening now.

 

Yep my wording can be wonky but that's the point I was trying to make

 

I was on board up through Hebrews and then whatever the first single for IDTII was is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard so I jumped off.

The Oliver manifesto is when I gave all my SA CDs to one of my friends instead of feeling embarrassed of myself for owning them.

 

These guys really fell off a cliff.

 

Wish Parker would put his energy into a JamisonParker reunion.

 

Everyone playing in this band has something better they should be doing

 

Just wanted to let you know I enjoyed reading your whole post and hope you continue sharing your thorough analysis on any bands, wholeheartedly

 

Everyone in this band is hopefully getting a good bag and then moving on

 

i honestly think that's his masterpiece and i can't fathom how someone can dislike that record except hate everyone isn't good at all.