I abhor the term “concept album.” What had its birth in the overindulgence of `70s arena rock has become the de facto term for what a band makes when they “mature.” Sure, there are artists in the past few years that have actually made albums that tell a coherent story or stick closely to a theme, such as Cursive’s excellent Happy Hollow, but for the most part bands misappropriate the term, like on Say Anything’s In Defense of the Genre. I’m sorry, but if the concept is songs about your life, it’s not really a concept album. [more]