The mainstream label debut of Say Anything is, in most respects, a real gem of deliciously sinful postmodern originality. It's suburban to the very core, almost comparable to the best qualities of The Bloodhound Gang with just a tinge of the self-honesty of Bright Eyes. A merging of those two bands would likely yield offspring comparable to ...Is a Real Boy (and it's sister disc, the slightly darker ...Was a Real Boy). Musically speaking the disc reflects painstakingly crafted pop production with scintilating rythms and hooks which are accentuated to the point of dark irony by frontman Max Bemis's devilishly engaging lyrical debauchery. It is in fact the lyrics which separate Say Anything from the hoardes of Hollister Era mall-core pop-punk outfits of the current times, for they reflect fiery vitriol unmatched by a good number of much more "hardcore" outfits. When Bemis's pen touches the pad it goes captivating places, from the bleak plasticization of the sexual experience through the mechanical anonymity of the internet as a medium for forming new relationships on "Wow I can get sexual too" to the shades and dimensions of drug-induced protcrastination as a sole means for inspiration on "Red Cat/Yellow Cat". There is indeed a ferocity on some of the songs that recalls the merging of rawness and production on albums like "Appetite for Destruction" with blistering thrashers like "Little Girls" and "Every Man has a Molly". Creature-horror lyrics as an analogy for sexual dependence makes "Spidersong" an especially twisted variation on a normally PG-13 genre of music and songwriting, and produces yet another standalone banger which can be played again and again. The succint message that Bemis is broadcasting seems pertinent enough, the recognition of banality, the transformation of malaise and frustration into inspiration and progress, the dismissal of superficiality and snooty postmodern intellectual entrenchment (Admit It is a vitriolic attack on the modern dumbed-down intellectual "elite" that carries a fire and energy rarely even grazed by tired modern pop music, overproduced and overplasticized. Say Anything is a compelling portrait of the mechanical, devoid face of modern American culture that is at times horrifying, but ultimatley beautiful in the end, as love prevails.

Say Anything lists their heroes as Saves the Day. I love StD. I own two of their albums. Sound the Alarm is brilliant. But this reference came as a surprise, particularly because StD does it by the book, and Say Anything aka Max Bemis expands far beyond into the inner reaches of the human soul. Yearning, incredible sexual appetite, and a pessimistic view of love are concealed in the sunshiney, blink-182 power chords and anthemic shouting found in the album. I love the music. Every single song has a peak, a melody, and a hook better than most bands can deliver in their ultimate track. Every song is also different than the last, giving the album a lasting appeal and an air than cannot be competed with. This is Green Day gone indie gone schoolboy passionate. Barely out of his teens, Bemis channels every teenage guy in America that has fallen from being on top, or felt like they have lost hope, only to rediscover it. That is the definition of me, which is why I feel I identify so well with the music. I, along with thousands of others, will probably label this album as the soundtrack to their life. And what a good one. Say Anything is deeply personal, and their lyrical content scathes and burns on so many nihilistic levels that it hurts. No other punk album will top this one. It is incredible, to hear and behold. Pick it up. And be glad you discovered a band called Say Anything...

Bear in mind that this album was originally released in 2004 but now has been re-released with some new bells and whistles. So without further ado I take credit for the following review for regardless of rather or not it is a re-release will undoubtedly go down as one of the best albums of the year but one of my personal favorites of the last ten years.

The scene is dripping with irony from top-to-bottom. Thrift store connoisseurs decked out in flamboyantly colored kicks and payless shoes adorn the landscape. Cheesy synths have taken over indie music and wailing 80's heavy-metal riffs overflow out of the retro-loving chalice of modern music in search of a definate meaning in reviving the old. Irony is the new pink, and pink is the new black let's all together and face it people it all comes down to the hipster New York fashion crazes and high school politics. I find it somewhat odd that punks can be in a sorta way as pretentious and conceited as all those "jocks" and "preps" that most everyone else blames for ruining their teen years. It's all about being cool, making sure that you say the right words to be considered the coolest. It's a continual progression hoarding deeper and deeper into the trough of egotistical self-absorption.

Say Anything. 18 months, a few visits to psychiatric hospitals and hundreds of cancelled shows later, Max seems fit and ready to bring his fans what they desperately deserve, new Say Anything tracks. Over a year after "...is a Real Boy"'s initial release, major label, J-Records took this pop rock gem and released it the masses en masse. Only this time, it came updated with seven new tracks. Though they might have a little bit sleeker production, the new tracks show not only has Bemis retained his self deprecating, tounge-in-cheek songwriting capabilities which are strikingly just as convincing and convicting. But that it has gotten better as time has elapsed.

I won't say anything (Damn I am a funny guy) about the actual album itself aside from if you don't own it, you need to own it. Do NOT download it or get it from a friend because that would be not doing Mr. Bemis any justrice. It is worth whatever money Target or Best Buy is charging. And along with these seven new tracks, you have no excuse not to get it.

The second disc, titled "...was a Real Boy," kicks off with "Wow, I can get sexual too," a track you might have heard as you entered the band's website. Bemis picks up right where he has left off, chronicling tales of internet and phone sex. "You're too young to be this empty girl/I'll prepare you for a sick dark world/Know that you will be my downfall/But I call and I call," croons Bemis. But throughout most of this disc, Bemis appears to be lashing out about his recent success and his reaction to it. "Little Girls" tells of his distain for little girls who do not fear him, though he feels they should. "Total Revenge" tells about Bemis' stays in hospitals and their constant supervision. And "I Will Never Write an Obligatory Song about being on the Road and Missing Someone" is about...well...duh what the title implies smarty.

If you have never heard Say Anything before, now would be an excellent time to get on this. You certainly will not regret it. If you have been a fan for a while, it is something that will re-wet your palate. If you are a fan of "...is a Real Boy," this is not the new Say Anything full length. Though you might gripe and groan about having to re-buy the CD to get the seven extra tracks, they are worth it. And by now, if you played your cards right and listened the hell out of that CD, you are probably due for a new one anyway and let us hope we don't have to wait long. This is what emo was suppose to be at the turn of the century.