Review:

on 2008-02-20 digitalbath Said:

Slightly inept, socially bankrupt, and clinically insane. Typically these words would scare off the masses unless in reference to Max Bemis' lyrics in ... Is a Real Boy and surprisingly this fact only adds to their appeal.

The debut album from Say Anything portrays an extreme talent sung through gritted teeth that resonate through each song's introduction, verse, chorus, bridge, and conclusion. The album is filled with catchy little numbers such as "Alive with the Glory of Love" that have every teenage girl skipping frantically and singing, "No, I won't let them take you, won't let them take you." Yet it still proves to be an intelligent album with songs like "Admit It!!!" calling out"scene kids" everywhere and yet still showing Max Bemis' ability to be objective and call himself out on a few of his own problems.

Most albums written by a teenager show their heightened sense of angst and rebellion, which this album truly does. However, many of them fail to resonate in a significant way to the masses. Max Bemis' shows his true colors in ... Is a Real Boy and manages to keep even the mature listener hooked on his every word spoken or sung.

The lyrics aren't the only aspect of this album to be admired either. The drums, by Coby Linder, always prove to take a commanding role in each song. Each song is played with a swing feel that makes it easy for any simpleton to sway back and forth to. The guitar riffs, though simple, prove to add to the catchiness of every single song. The guitar can be enjoyed thoroughly in songs such as Yelow Cat (Slash) Red Cat where each lyric seems to be dragged along with an absurd confidence to match Max Bemis' insane style.

In the end though, it all comes back to Max Bemis' seemingly never-ending immaturity in lyric mixed with a maturity that seems to be influenced by some psychotic disorder. He still whines about his past girlfriends in "Everyone has a Molly" but seems to redeem himself with songs like "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" which, although an immature topic, shows his maturity and/or awkwardness when dealing with the opposite sex.

This album is truly one to marvel at and ultimately should be listened to by any avid and self-loathing human being on our mother earth at least once. Whether or not you should listen to it a second time is a simple matter of opinion but as Max will tell you, "I'm the spider." I did mention he was insane right?
Rating: 8/10

Review:

on 2007-07-31 Alotofnothing Said:

This is an amazing album. Like the editorial review says, the hooks that the slightly insane Max Bemis lays down are like musical heroin. Sometimes life is melancholy, boring, and slightly repetitive, but every time it turns that way I throw in this CD. Screaming "I'm eating rat poison for dinner" along with Max could cheer anyone up. Not a lot of records can prove that it's good to be a kid, and that responsibility sucks, but ...Is A Real Boy can. It's hard to put the brilliance in this record into words, it's really a must listen for everyone.
Rating: 10/10

Review:

on 2007-07-24 blackxdan Said:

Say Anything really should have been recognized when this album was first released, not two years later. This album is honestly amazing, and I'm glad that the band is finally getting the recognition and bigger fan base like they deserve. All of their songs are great because of the unexpected chord progressions and their sexual lyrics. This band is hilarious, just look at the lyrics from "Wow, I can Get Sexual To". An amazingly catchy song, with funny lyrics to go with it. Say Anything has the potential to become as famous as fall out boy [knock on wood] but for right now, they are probably fine with the pedistal that they have comfortably placed themselves upon. Expect great things from this band in the future, with this Sophomore release not too far away.
Rating: 10/10