...Is a Real Boy is one of my favourite albums of all time, like seriously. I was first recommended the band Say Anything by my old guitar teacher when I was about 14. I wanted to get some cool new music for Christmas and asked him about what bands he liked and he immediately said, 'Get Say Anything's new album, it's amazing'.
He was right. This is one of the only albums I can listen to all the way through and enjoy every single song, it's a beautifully constructed album. Perhaps 'beautiful' isn't exactly the right word for this record but, overall, the songwriting, style and technical intensity is what makes it one of my favourites.
The album starts with explosively with the track 'Belt', a fast-paced, catchy, guitar-driven tune with a really awesome outing which includes the lyrics 'Let's say you, and all your friends, in the alley tonight'. As my first ever taster of the band, I was taken aback. My first thought was that I would never ever get into this band, it was all too raw and rugged (I had never really been into the Grunge or low-fi rock). After a few listens though, I was hooked. The songs are intricately designed, Max Bemis being a master of guitar and vocal hooks, with clever, witty lyrics smothered in a helpful dosage of biting, sardonic humour.
The raw production values make this album stand out from any of Say Anything's other material. Muddy mixes and crude guitar tones are an abundance, giving the record a stylistic, harsh character which is awesome. Bemis's voice has such a angsty, raucous edge to it, reflecting the tales of drug use and social anxiety of which the subject matter of the album covers.
A powerfully emotive record. Fierce at times with songs like 'An Orgy of Critics' but gentle and mellow in moments like 'I want to know your Plans'. Say Anything at their peak in my opinion, not to say I dislike their new albums. One of the albums of my early teenage years.
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