Two Tongues: Heavyweights Unite

Two Tongues: Heavyweights Unite

Matthew Winters

I need to get something off of my chest. You, my readers, have been reading and enjoying my column for over six months now and I still have not let out my biggest secret. Here it is: I'm an emo kid. But c'mon not one of those wear black all the time, crying about a girl emo kids. I love the music, it's honest. So now that the secret is out, let's talk about a new release by two of the genres' best.

In early 1997 a very young Chris Conley, under the guise of Saves the Day, released what would be one of the genre's best albums, "Can't Slow Down." Flash forward six albums to today and we are faced with a very different but still intense Saves The Day. Influencing bands was not what Conley intended to do but he did and the best of which is LA's Say Anything.

Led by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Max Bemis, Say Anything roared out of the gate with their 2004 album, "…Is A Real Boy." The album was heralded as a pop masterpiece when it came out and is still highly favored over their follow up album "In Defense Of The Genre."

Both songwriters, Conley and Bemis, had an equal respect for each other and wanted to work together. It was a dream of theirs and an emo kid's fantasy, and it finally happened on this project they've aptly titled Two Tongues.

The self-titled album is full of highlights for the singers, who both sing on all the songs in a Taking Back Sunday style. Conley's sweet falsetto is countered and amplified by the gruff yelp of Bemis all while sounding like the best of both artists' previous work. "If I Could Make You Do Things" is a slow burner that has the singers trading lines about lost love, "Wowee Zowee" turns things up and sounds like it would get a great pit going live, and opener "Crawl" is immediately what you would expect: bombastic emo played by two of its most skilled musicians.

Whether this is a one-off project or if it is going end in multiple albums is beside the point - this album stands up as great album that both artists can be proud of.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 1/23/09