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Say Anything is at it again with their latest self-titled album release, which became available on Nov. 3. 

The album, simply entitled, Say Anything, is another fantastic edition to an increasingly impressive discography. 

This album is refreshingly original, and does an excellent job of maintaining and emphasizing the unique and sometimes vulgar stylings of Max Bemis, the bands lead singer and songwriter. 

The sound is a little more ‘popish’ than some of Say Anything’s previous albums, but it hardly sounds like anything on the current pop-rock scene. 

And of course, this album is loaded with a fresh set of Max Bemis’s sometimes fun, sometimes dark, and often times angry lyricism. 

This album focuses on Bemis’s struggle with faith and meaning in a life riddled with loss and hurt.

 It doesn’t bleed of the teenage angst that propagated their past albums, but is, instead, a more mature, reflective album that looks back on all of that anger and tries to learn and grow from it. 

This album is layered by its irony, which can be found flowing freely throughout the its lyrics as well as in the music.

 For example, in the second song on the album, “Hate Everyone,” Bemis sings about, well, hating everyone, but the music that swells behind the growling lyrics is upbeat and childish. 

This creates an interesting dichotomy within the song, and seems to really set the tone for the album. 

The tone that is directed towards the theme, that all this hate and aggression that has guided Bemis’s life has been childish and immature, and that he can “Do Better,” which is, coincidentally, the title of the next song on the album. 

For those who are familiar with Say Anything, this album is not as good as their near perfect album Is a Real Boy… 

However, this album is certainly worth picking up on its own merits.

Although it may not have the same edge as Is a Real Boy…, it still contains the unique and interesting musical styling that can only be understood by those who have listened to Say

Anything, and Bemis’s penetrating lyricism is just as biting and poignant as ever. 

There are areas of this album that come up a little short. 

It is not the album of the year, but it is far more creative and insightful than most bands even care to experiment with.

Let alone base the whole foundation of their music around as Say Anything does. 

And there are sections of pure brilliance on this album.