Say Anything's ... Is a Real Boy is a great example of why I enjoy looking for new music so much. Originally planned as a musical, it brought a theatrical angle and unexpected influences to the sometimes insular punk scene of the 2004. Say Anything's songwriter & singer Max Bemis intentionally made the album highly autobiographical. This maintains an important air of authenticity dealing excitement and anxiety of youth, shining behind the masks and characters he puts on to tell a story within each song.
"Alive with the Glory of Love" is the best introduction to this album. Superficially it is a song about lovers in Europe during the beginning of World War II, though the setting quickly becomes irrelevant as the listener becomes a character in this drama. Group vocals beg a sing along and rhythms inspire fingers to snap along. Other songs on the album demonstrate a range of influences from Vaudeville to the origins of punk, but "Alive with the Glory of Love" does its job as the first single to engage new listeners.
Also recommended: "Belt," "Woe," "I Want to Know Your Plans," "Admit It!!!" and "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" (from the collection of b-sides included with the reissue ...Was a Real Boy.)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment