“Say Anything” isn’t just a great movie that everyone should go see; Say Anything is also a great band that everyone should check out. I happened to catch them on tour with Armor For Sleep last year at the North Star Bar. Their catchy and sarcastic songs caught my attention, but revisiting the album recently once again sparked my interest.

Older fans of Say Anything can expect more from the full length “…is a Real Boy:” an additional seven songs that were originally intended to be released as an AIDS benefit record. The album insert sets up the humorous, heartfelt album as a ‘rock opera.’

“The plot revolve(s) around a moderately successful ‘indie/punk’ rock band called Say Anything, fronted by 21 year-old Max Bemis, an idealistic, introverted singer/songwriter crippled by depression and anxiety and alienated by what he sees as a vast hypocrisy inherent in society.” With songs bashing ex-girlfriends and those annoying elitist scenesters, this album will have you laughing out loud and singing along.

I’m afraid that most of the lyrics are too explicit for the Villanovan, but let’s just say, I would not recommend listening to this album with your parents. The first thing that came to my mind: “Dane Cook: The Musical!”

Interested yet? Listen for yourself! The third track on the album, “Alive with the Glory of Love,” is a dance-worthy, finger-snapping hit that also graces the Say Anything website (www.sayanythingmusic.com). So if nothing else, listen to this single. I have to admit that “Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat” was more entertaining live than the album version. My favorite track from disc two, “Total Revenge”, shows a slightly more serious side of Say Anything with this acoustic ballad.

If you are looking for an uplifting song to get stuck in your head for weeks at a time, “Spidersong” is exactly what you are looking for and is definitely one of my favorites. Singer Max Bemis has a unique and booming voice that keeps listeners on their toes, and every song on the album is different enough to listen straight through, beginning to end. After a full year of touring, making appearances on MTV, FUSE and the SXSW Showcase in Austin, Texas, Say Anything continues to tour relentlessly. Not willing to give up their dream of a charity record, Say Anything plans to wait until they are famous rock stars to finish this project in order to maximize their charitable donation possibilities. The band will be touring the East coast in May and stopping to play a local show at the Theatre of the Living Arts on May 20. Definitely check out this band if they head to a city near you.