★★★★★
Release Date: March 13 2013 California indie/pop-punk band Say Anything is one that I've had minimal experiences with. In 2007, I picked up a copy of an Alternative Press compilation record that was a "back to school" to kind of record, and it featured a lot of rarities and acoustic songs by bands such as Chiodos, Paramore, Envy On The Coast, Bayside, Gym Class Heroes, Every Time I Die, and plenty of other bands...
- absolutepunk.net
2013-04-15
★★★★★
Say Anything are back, three years after their self-titled album, with their Equal Vision Records debut release. "Anarchy, My Dear" has something for everyone touching on a range of diverse genres - from folk to epic ballads - whilst keeping it's core firmly rooted in pop-punk. It's also got its old school punk influences too, displaying an anti-establishment undertone throughout the record most evident in lyrics such as "I need to ask you children a question - Do you really wanna stand stiff,...
- www.alterthepress.com
2013-04-02
★★★★★
It took me a quite a few listens to form an opinion on Say Anything's fifth record Anarchy My Dear. My first listen was to dismiss the record as nothing special. My second spin I concluded it was a mere angry record. By the time i hit play for the fifth and sixth time I finally started to appreciate the craft within the songs on this record and now, as it plays again in the background I think i get it. I think I get what this record is. A juxtaposition of calm and stormy...
- www.theaureview.com
2012-04-16
★★★★★
Sound: The sound of. Is A Real Boy blows me away. It has an intense punk rock feeling while touching on other genres such as pop punk, alternative, acoustic, and just plain rock. Many cds these days are really frustrating because every single song sounds the same!!! This, however, is not one of those albums. Each song has a new sound, purpose, and soul. It is one of the few albums I can sit and listen to without skipping a song. Each song is intricately composed and is timed with perfection...
- www.ultimate-guitar.com
2012-04-12
★★★★★
Sound: How can someone define a perfect album? In my opinion, Say Anything's "In Defense Of The Genre" can be defined as one. For those who are unfamiliar with the band, they released an album called "...Is A Real Boy" in 2004. The album was small at first, but over the past three years it has grown in popularity amongst the indie community. The album covered the childhood of front man Max Bemis...
- www.ultimate-guitar.com
2012-04-12
★★★★★
Summary: And the shit rains down. In order to see why Say Anything's Anarchy, My Dear is such an unequivocal failure, we've got to look at what made ...Is A Real Boy such a fantastic album, given that the former is supposed to recapture some of the latter's glory. Real Boy was one of those rare albums that seemed like it could have never been created except under the exact circumstances in which it was...
- www.sputnikmusic.com
2012-04-12
★★★★★
If Say Anything frontman Max Bemis were an anarchist, he'd be behind the scenes, printing fliers in the dark. Because despite his flair for acid-laced invectives, you get the idea he feels kind of impotent. That's not to say his words lack power, though. In fact, brashness, plus a keen wit, have set the band apart. It marks Say Anything's fourth album, for which they left RCA to return to an indie label. It's odd, then, to find that ire focused on the indie scene...
- thephoenix.com
2012-04-02
★★★★★
Max Bemis has more in common with the misanthropic cult comedian Bill Hicks than with any of the other emo-pop purveyors he's rubbed elbows with as the frontman for Say Anything; his sharply worded tirades and uncomfortably honest self-portraits have made him one of the most compelling personalities to emerge from the last decade's glut of mall-punk...
- www.slantmagazine.com
2012-03-22
★★★★★
Sometime around around 2005, Say Anything seemed poised to take over the world. The band's sophomore album, ...Is A Real Boy, was set to be reissued by major label J Records and Max Bemis was being heralded in some quarters as the voice of a generation. Well, Say Anything never seemed to capitalize on its momentum as that reissue took a year longer than expected and a follow-up didn't come 'til 2007. The bloated In Defense of the Genre received a mixed reception from fans and critics alike...
- www.punknews.org
2012-03-19