Say Anything: Is a Real Boy: 2LP Vinyl

Despite some of the hype surrounding its release, Say Anything's self-described rock opera ...Is a Real Boy still caught many in the punk scene off-guard, seemingly coming out of nowhere with its theatrical tone and critical, perceptive lyrical makeup. At the helm of the album is the self-conscious 20-something singer/songwriter Max Bemis, who ultimately is Say Anything: he wrote and plays pretty much everything but percussion on the record. The songs were originally written as part of a play, complete with a cast of characters, full story, and spoken interludes. A rise-and-fall plot of sorts, the story line was to be: a band is mediocre until its idealistic frontman (who also suffers from alienation and anxiety in a world of hypocrisy) becomes cursed to spew his innermost thoughts in the form of honest songs that alter the band into wildly popular stars before their own hypocrisy leads to their undoing. And though the proposed story line didn't completely transfer to the album, it's a