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Posts Tagged ‘Say Anything’

  1. Best Albums of 2009

    December 31, 2009 by Steph

    We’ve got our top albums of 2009! Instead of compiling one big list, each of our writers and photographers have submitted their own top 5 list. We invite all of you to send in your top 5 list of albums for 2009 too!

    Steph:

    There were a number of good EPs that came out this year, but I decided to exclude them from my list to make this tough decision a little easier.

    1. Say Anything (Delux Version) by Say Anything
    Slightly different than their first two albums, Say Anything still has the raw honesty and catchy rock beats that I expect and love from Max Bemis and gang. By far my favorite album of 2009,  I’ve listened to each song on the upward of 20 times. There’s not a bad one in the bunch, including the bonus tracks.

    2. Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
    Ingrid always brings it with her smooth vocals and the whole album is great. “Soldier” was one of my favorite songs of the year.

    3. Not Without a Fight by New Found Glory
    I wrote a full review about my love for Not Without a Fight but to put it simply, this album combines the best of old NFG and new NFG.

    4. Ratitude by Weezer
    I had to include this album because A. Because of this album, I have a renewed faith in Weezer’s talent post-Blue-Album and B. Their incorporation of diverse genres makes this album genius! (What other rock band does Bali-wood?)

    5. It’s Not Me, It’s You by Lily Allen
    The reason I chose this album is similar to the reason I picked Ratitude. Not only does Lily push the envelope with her feisty lyrics, but she tries interesting things musically and doesn’t box herself in with the pop song “standards”

    Catharine:

    1. Brand New Eyes – Paramore
    I absolutely love all their albums, and this is no exception. Next to All We Know Is Falling, this album was the right progression. Riot! was fun, but this album is genius!

    2. The Fray by The Fray
    My favorite ‘feel good’ album of the year. I never tire of listening to this album and although most can agree a lot of Fray songs sound exactly alike, it’s an amazing sound and I could listen all day!

    3. It’s Not Me, It’s You by Lily Allen
    What’s not to like about Lily Allen? Haha! She’s a kickass girl with a truthful mouth. This is an awesome album. My favorite track has got to be “F**k You”.

    4. Fearless Platinum Edition by Taylor Swift
    The re-release of this album made it even better. With 6 brand new songs, it made it feel like a totally new Taylor Swift album. Her music is a guilty pleasure I will proudly announce to the world. She makes falling in love, breaking up, and getting revenge sound so good!

    5. Nothing Personal by All Time Low
    This has got to be my favorite ‘work out’ album of the year. The fun and upbeat songs kept me going for hours at the gym and on long walks!

    Jackie:

    1. Strict Joy by The Swell Season
    The sophomore release from the dynamic Oscar-winning duo of the movie “Once,” this record is simple and poignant. There’s no huge, overproduced mumbo jumbo. It’s piano, it’s guitar, and it’s Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard’s amazing harmonies. By far my favorite album of the year. It’s still on constant rotation in my car even though I bought it months ago.

    2. Abbey Road (2009 Stereo Remaster) by The Beatles
    If this had been a brand new release, it would have been my number 1 by about a million miles. The last record The Beatles would ever release together, this album has such a diverse collection of songs, it’s hard to even really begin to describe its brilliance. It’s a great representation of the talent of all four Beatles, not just John and Paul. The band definitely “went out with a bang” with this one.

    3. The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga
    Knock her antics and insane outfits all you want. The one thing you can’t say about Lady GaGa is that she’s not original. On her second release she combines a little bit of Abba, a lot of club/dance instrumentals and her usual sexually-infused, woman-empowered lyrics. I was a huge fan of “The Fame” and GaGa didn’t disappoint again with this record.

    4. The Script by The Script
    I had never heard of this band before I saw them on a TV appearance one night. Hailing from Ireland, the band recently opened for U2. Though they may not be extremely original, there is no doubt this is a well-written, diverse and emotional record. If you’ve just been through a breakup, check out “Breakeven” and you’ll find yourself exclaiming “exactly!” throughout the entire track. The lead singer’s voice is also exceptional and surprisingly soulful.

    3. Uplifter by 311
    One of my favorite bands for as long as I can remember, I realized a dream and saw them live this past summer. This band has continued a long line of great records with “Uplifter.” A slightly harder album than some of the past, they still don’t lose their infectious positive message and reggae-based vibe. Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez have some of the best combined voices I’ve heard. You wouldn’t think their voices would mesh well together but they do, and that’s showcased on this album. This is without a doubt, my “Summer Album” of choice.

    Cassie:

    First of all…I think this is probably a little biased because the albums that came out recently are going to be remembered more…but

    1. Battle Studies by John Mayer

    2. Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson

    3. Fearless by Taylor Swift (don’t deny it)

    4. Say Anything by Say Anything

    5. Brand New Eyes by Paramore

    J-Man:

    1. Billy Talent III by Billy Talent
    I could pretty much listen to Billy Talent’s entire library all the way through without skipping a song. These guys have given me no reason to stop loving them.

    2. The Resistance by Muse
    When you listen to Muse’s new album, it makes you feel like you should be watching something epic and awesome happen. This is the definition of good music.

    3.Welcome to the Masquerade by Thousand Foot Krutch
    Thank you TFK, for not sucking anymore. I’m going to pretend that this and Phenomenon are your only two albums.

    4. Act II: The Father Of Death by The Protomen
    This is the second album in their concept rock opera about Mega Man. You heard me. Rock Opera About Mega Man.

    5. Raditude by Weezer
    Weezer has made another awesomely sing-along-able pop rock album. They are amazing at being mediocre, and I love them for it.

    J-Man’s (dis)Honorable Mentions:

    Ocean Eyes by Owl City
    I hadn’t heard of Owl City till this year, and since first listening to “Fireflies” on XM radio in a sprint store I worked at, he has become one of my favorite artists. The only reason he doesn’t get an official spot is because The Postal Service called and they want their sound back.

    Part Six by MC Chris
    I was listening to Chris before it was the cool thing to do. INDIE CRED. The guy is an absolute emo douchebag, but I can’t stop listening to his awesome brand of hip hop. He got bumped off the list because, seriously, he’s an emo douchebag.

    The Fame Monster by Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
    Somewhere, along my path of absolutely hating Stefani Germanotta, I managed to accidently become a Stefani Germanotta fan. It may have something to do with the numerous amazing covers of her music on youtube, culminating in Cartman doing the best rendition of “Poker Face” in existence. It may have something to do with her amazingly produced catchy music. Either way, she doesn’t make the official list because of her STUPID STUPID STAGE NAME.

    Category Albums | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | Comments Off on Best Albums of 2009

  2. 2008 Warped Tour, Los Angeles. Photo + Interviews + Reviews!

    August 22, 2008 by Steph

    11:15 The Academy Is…

    12:05 We the Kings

    –Interviews with All Time Low, Forever the Sickest Kids, and The Academy Is… available on our iTunes Podcast—

    3:15 ORESKABAND

    3:55 Forever the Sickest Kids

    4:20 All Time Low

    5:45 Relient K

    6:45 Say Anything

    7:00 Four Year Strong

    7:15 Katy Perry

    7:45 Angeles and Airwaves

    8:15 Gym Class Heroes

    We managed to arrive just in time to check in at the press tent, sign up for interviews, and make it back over to main stages to catch The Academy Is… go on first thing in the morning.  They opened with “Neighbors” to an unusually mellow and stagnant crowd.  The played some classics—”Slow Down” and “Classifieds”—mixed in with their new singles released this past Tuesday on Fast Times at Barrington High—”Summer Hair” and “About a Girl.”  These new summer anthems were perfect for getting started a long hot day at Warped Tour.

    We the Kings were the next act of (moderate) interest and we sauntered over there to catch a few pictures and a few songs.  They sounded like Boys Like Girls with more elementary lyrics and less catchy hooks.  “Cause if you jump I will jump too.  We will fall together from the building’s ledge never looking back at what we’ve done.  we’ll say it was love cause I would die for you” is cliché emo through and through.  As we walked away, we heard Travis Clark, lead vocals, tell the crowd to “spread the love” about their new album.  So if you consider the album “love” you have Travis’ permission to share it.

    Back over in the press tent, we waited around for our interviews.  They all went amazing and we ended up getting even more than we hoped for – All Time Low followed by Forever the Sickest Kids and The Academy Is… with Charlotte Sometimes later on in the day.  You can listen to all of these interviews on iTunes  – Addicted to Shows Podcast .

    After a couple of hours in the press tent, skipping way too many good sets, we caught ORESKABAND’s set.  They’re an all-girl ska band from Japan and they RULE!  Aside from them being adorable and bursting with anime-like bubbly excitement, they kick ass as a very legit group of musicians.  They shouted for us to sing along (which was a little hard since I think most of us don’t know Japanese) but the oo’s and ahh’s were definite sing-along, skank-along material and they put on an altogether fun set.

    Forever the Sickest Kid’s set was almost as good as their set at Warped Tour in Pomona—full of dancing, moshing, and sweatiness.  Their music really has this great energy and fun about it that it’s impossible not to get excited about it.  Songs like single “Whoa Oh!” and “She’s a Lady” got the entire crowd moving and a constant launch of crowd surfers.  I can’t possibly give the Kids more praise than I already have in previous reviews so I’ll quit while I’m ahead.  LOVE.

    The closer we got to the Hurley stage, the more dense the crowd got until we finally reached the staging area overflowing with kids—the ones farther out were observant, the ones closer in ready to get their effin’ dance on!  Some of the younger more novice kiddos weren’t quite prepared for what was about to go down – lots of people falling, crowd surfers falling through, and people upset about losing sandals (please don’t wear sandals to a show).  All Time Low’s set was fun, energetic, and definitely dance-worthy.  There was a dancy, sweaty mix out there on that black top with even a little bit of circle-pit action which is great to see at Warped Tour.  They played Poppin’ Champagne (without the bleeping.  Take that, MTV!), Six Feet Under The Stars and the rest of their fun, sing-along teenage anthems.  Fun, sweaty times.

    Heading over to the main stages, we were up front and ready for Relient K.  Where were all the die-hards?  I only saw people mouthing (not even singing) along for a few of the more recent releases.  But the crowd was in no way a reflection of their performance.  Matt gracefully floated between the piano and his guitar amidst xylophone-littered pop rock melodies with fantastic harmonies.

    Totally contrary to their normal rock genre, they busted out Kanye’s “Good Life” followed by their “The Best Thing.”  Off their new The Bird and the B-Sides (with 13 new and 13 old songs) they played “The Scene and the Herd” which sounded more Mhmm than Five Score.  Matt sang, “I see you magically got this song for free… Doesn’t bother me.  I’m gonna sing what I want.  It might not be what you want to hear.” which seems appropriate because Relient K has always done exactly what they wanted to, from the contemplative Five Score to the playful “Sadie Hawkins” which they played next (although Matt admits to be sick of it, it’s still a crowd favorite).  They segued their silliness into a song about The Office and then got a little more serious with “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been” and promotion of the charity Blood, Water, Mission.  They ended with “I Need You” – heavy and buck! Haha.

    We stuck around to try to split the next half hour between Say Anything and Four Year Strong but Rise Against made Say Anything start late and I was only able to see one of Say Anything’s songs – “Alive With the Glory of Love.” They had good energy, great vocals and a crisp sound that drew a huge crowd.  Fans had sat there through the last 4 sets just to get a good spot for them.  Dedication, and for a good reason.

    Hustling over to Four Year Strong, I caught the set mid-first-song.  This set… FANTASTIC.  They have the fun and energy of Forever the Sickest Kids and the heaviness of Set Your Goals creating this fun, dancey, head-banging, moshing monster.  There isn’t enough praise I can give Four Year Strong.  And their straddling between hardcore and powerpop-rock allows them to appeal to just about anyone – you WILL like them.

    They played my favorites off their album Rise or Dye Trying – “Prepare To Be Digitally Manipulated,” “Catastrophe,” “Abandon Ship Or Abandon All Hope,” and “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Hell.”  Listen.  Now.

    Katy Perry was on the stage just to the left and we caught a few of her songs.  While I have to admit a guilty pleasure for the beat of “I Kissed a Girl” and her music is pretty great to play at a party, having to stand and watch Katy shake her booty around the stage was only mildly entertaining and probably more suitable for a male audience.  I caught “One of the Boys,” “If You Can Afford Me,” and “Hot n’ Cold.”  Impatient for cherry chap stick and “Ur So Gay” I decided to find our M.I.A. photographer.

    Unable to find Catharine, I ended up shooting Angels and Airwaves with my camera.  Being up front and center for Tom Delong & band was really incredible.  Him and former band Blink-182 probably influenced over half the bands on Warped Tour 2008.  Their sound is so epic and inspiring.  The fans were so into it they were practically climbing over the barricade in hypnotized enthusiasm.  While this (not really that) new direction for Tom is exciting, it can be a little strange for all us Blink fans to see Tom so serious.  Just for us, Tom threw in a “fuck, shit, poo poo, pee pee” for us before submerging into a personal favorite “It Hurts” and closing the set with the single off their first release “The Adventure.”

    Gym Class Heroes closed out the night, walking on stage to “End of the Road” which is pretty appropriate – the last act on the last date of Warped Tour.  A little sad… but they picked up the mood immediately with the obvious crowd-pleaser “Clothes Off” which brought on dancing and singing along.  Travis announced that their the successor to As Cruel As School Children is called The Quill and will be released September 9th.

    Off their new album they played a song with a chorus “Put up your peace sign, put your index down” and then their School Children slow jam “Viva la White Girl.”  To introduce their new fans to their excellent first release The Papercut Chronicles, they played a medley of “Simple Livin'” and “Taxi Cab” (my favorite).  Stealing a note out of Relient K’s book (or maybe the other way around) they busted out an amazingly clean rendition of metal band Lamb of God’s “Laid to Rest.”  They closed out the night, and the Warped Tour, with “Cupid’s Chokehold” with Katy Perry, Forever the Sickest Kids, and a female bunny costume on stage with them.

    2008 Warped Tour finished in Los Angeles after another long summer out on the road.  Some bands we got to see for a second time and some picked up somewhere in the middle and helped close it off.  Some bands we missed completely (sorry about that).  But this year was great and it was awesome to be able to see some new favorites on the stage for the first time.  If you guys don’t take anything else from this, I hope that you listen to our interviews and listen to FOUR YEAR STRONG.

    There are a ton more photos on myspace.com/addictedtoshows including other bands not included:  Cobra Starship and Ludo.  Check them out!

    Stay Saavy,
    Steph@A2S

    Photos by Catharine Acurso

    Category Interviews, Live | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,, | Comments Off on 2008 Warped Tour, Los Angeles. Photo + Interviews + Reviews!