And the record begins with a song of rebellion...

My first official blog posting was originally intended to be about another band but after the recent announcement of an upcoming album and tour from Say Anything, I became too excited about this band to not post about them.

Say Anything is one of those bands that sticks out amongst the rest of the artists that they may be compared to. Their music does not fit into one specific category as it has hints of influence from many different genres from pop punk to indie to even hip-hop. Formed in 2000 by singer and lyricist Max Bemis, the band has jumped around from label to label and has changed members frequently. They have released four full-length albums to date and three EPs. Their soon to be released album “Anarchy My Dear” has been described by the band as their first attempt at a true punk rock record, at least in theme. 


Watch the video below to hear one of my favourite songs by the band "Alive With the Glory of Love" 

So you may be asking yourselves what is it that makes this band worth listening to? What sets them apart from the rest of the bands out there? If there was one band that defined the purpose of this blog it is Say Anything. They are a band that amidst an industry full of reality stars and artists using auto tune that searches for substance. One of the most memorable lines off of Say Anything’s self-titled album comes from the song Mara and Me. The song begins with Max Bemis singing, “There are babies with guns beheading their friends in shopping malls around the world. Yet, somehow The Kings of Leon find time to write songs about girls”. Now I have no personal problem with The Kings of Leon, but Bemis’ frustration with the current state of popular music is quite clear. While Say Anything is not a band that strays away from songs about love and heartache, they do it in a different way. Bemis’ lyrics cover all kind of topics from his own personal battle with drugs and bipolar disorder(a battle that sidelined the band for two years), to politics and religion. While some bands choose to focus on lyrics over song writing, the members of Say Anything are quite talented musicians. The darker lyrics are covered up by the more upbeat music behind them.

While I would suggest giving every Say Anything record a listen to, there are certain songs that stick out. One of my favourite songs by the band is "Alive with the Glory of Love". Other stand out songs include "The Futile", "Admit It!", "Walk Through Hell", "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too", Crush'd", "Do Better", "People Like You Are Why People Like Me Exist", "Baby Girl, I'm a Blur"  and one of my favourites "Hate Everyone" which you can listen to below. 

Say Anything is a band that I feel everyone needs to give at least one listen to if only for Bemis’ song writing.  So give them a listen, trust me you will find at least one song that you will put on repeat. So check them out online at www.sayanythingmusic.com

The introduction post

I’ll start off by saying welcome to my blog. I realize that it is cliché to say but music has always been an important part of my life. Whether it be listening to and finding out about new bands or playing and creating my own music, music has always been a huge passion of mine. In high school I was somewhat of a music snob not wanting to share my favourite music with others as I had some sort of strange idea that they were “my bands”. As I got older I realized how wrong I was and that music is something that is meant to be shared.

My blog will be dedicated to introducing readers to bands that they may or may have not heard before. The bands that I will write about are not necessarily up and coming or new bands but are ones that find themselves stuck in the middle of the two worlds of mainstream and independent music. I am not looking to focus on musicians that I feel will make it big in the next year or two. The musicians I will talk about are not necessarily struggling artists but also are not selling out huge stadiums or selling millions of records.  I want to focus on musicians that offer something different in a music industry that is dominated by computer manufactured music, reality competition stars and songs with little to no substance. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to music and the artists I will focus on may not be everyone’s choice of music but I believe they are worth at least one listen to.  The title of my blog, Deja Entendu literally means already heard. While it comes from one of my favourite albums I felt it was appropriate as the bands that I am focusing on may be ones that some have already heard before but also because they are artists that I feel stand out in an industry filled with the same thing being repeated over and over again. I hope you enjoy my blog and take the time to listen to some of the artists I focus on.