Note: This is an ambitious double album for a band putting out their second major label release. Since their previous LP, frontman Max Bemis has spent time in the hospital recovering from a nervous breakdown.
Also Note: The album features more than 20 guest vocalists from rock bands including My Chemical Romance, Dashboard Confessional, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, Alkaline Trio and Saves the Day.
Sound: Angsty rock that bounces between hooky and melodic and ferocious and aggressive. They also find time for some stripped down reflections and work in musical theatre, r&b, hip hop and reggae elements. Vocally and lyrically In Defense of the Genre is a post-traumatic therapy session full of aches, neurosis, sarcasm and wide-open vulnerability.
Heavy Rotation tracks: “Sorry, Dudes. My Bad”; “Surgically Removing the Tracking Device”
Medium Rotation tracks: “No Soul”; “Baby Girl, I’m a Blur”; “That Is Why”; “The Truth Is, You Should Lie With Me”; “Spores”
Recommended: You have to commend Say Anything on the creativity and bold reach of In Defense of the Genre. But at 27 tracks and nearly 90 minutes, it’s quite unwieldy. If they trimmed about 10 tracks, this could have been one of the better single disc, mainstream rock releases of the year.
Grade: B (Disc 1 = B+; Disc 2 = B-)

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