Rolling Stone Reviews Say Anything [Archive]

Rohan Kohli

01/27/06, 11:28 AM

Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com) recently reviewed Say Anything (http://www.sayanythingmusic.com)'s ...Is A Real Boy:
Say Anything
3 stars out of 5

- Los Angeles twosome aims to emancipate emo.

This barely legal LA two-piece peddles razorbacked pop-punk hooks grown in a place songwriter Max Bemis calls the "United States of Woe" - apparently the rocky middle ground between Bright Eyes and bands like Saves the Day. Full of spittle and spleen and literate means, Bemis disses his own "artful abortions of sound, sealed with a kiss and slathered in the sauce sarcastic" ("The Futile") while Coby Linder's thunderous drumming makes Taylor Hawkins sound limp-wristed. Say Anything is premium emo, with frills: "Alive With the Glory of Love" features doo-wop harmonies, and "I Want to Know Your Plans" has a melodica solo. Nearly a year and a half after the album's indie release, J Records has reissued it with a superlative seven-track bonus disc, which includes "Total Revenge," a scorching torch song their new labelmate Alicia Keys should consider covering.

Key Track: "Alive With the Glory of Love"

by Peter Relic

LPMagic

01/27/06, 11:29 AM

Uh oh, here it comes.

Troy will Fall

01/27/06, 11:30 AM

Rolling Stone is awful anyways.

DroppedUrPocket

01/27/06, 11:31 AM

I don't understand how they talk about it so well, and then give it a 3/5. Haha.

Rohan Kohli

01/27/06, 11:31 AM

I don't understand how they talk about it so well, and then give it a 3/5. Haha.

For real.

aminorthreat55

01/27/06, 11:33 AM

Rolling Stone is awful anyways.
Yep.

R7265ab

01/27/06, 11:35 AM

I don't understand how they talk about it so well, and then give it a 3/5. Haha.
Yep

Michael Ryan

01/27/06, 11:36 AM

eh who cares...its rolling stone. worst magazine reveiwing greatest record. doesnt work.

Elijscott

01/27/06, 11:38 AM

I hate rolling stone. Unfortunately my roommate subsribed to it accidentally, so we get it like every week or whenever it comes out. To give the CD 3 out of 5 is an abomination, in my humble opinion.

hollywoodending

01/27/06, 11:41 AM

Every time I read RS, it seems like they always give those generic rap albums way better reviews than rock. Maybe its a coincidence, i dont know. All that magazine ever does is rant about how Kanye West and the Rolling Stones are "great."

DroppedUrPocket

01/27/06, 11:43 AM

hollywoodending

01/27/06, 11:43 AM

edit: the rolling stones ARE great, but every single mediocre album they keep putting out still gets like a perfect review by RS. I suscribe to the mag, but sometimes it just gets on my nerves. ok im done.

hollywoodending

01/27/06, 11:44 AM

oh, I didnt mean that kanye west is generic. im talking about the ones with like "lil" in their name - lil scrappy, lil wayne, etc. etc.

DroppedUrPocket

01/27/06, 11:44 AM

oh, I didnt mean that kanye west is generic. im talking about the ones with like "lil" in their name - lil scrappy, lil wayne, etc. etc.
Yeah those are pretty bad.

SuperJoe

01/27/06, 11:49 AM

sell the sunris

01/27/06, 11:50 AM

I don't understand how they talk about it so well, and then give it a 3/5. Haha.

This is the problem with the 5 point rating system. Obviously the reviewer thought it was good, but with such a limited scale to work with, it constrains the choices. As for the review itself. It wasn't great, but to be honest, it wasn't as god awful as it could have been. Keep in mind Rolling Stone barely has their ear to the ground when it comes to up and coming acts. Although why they choise NOW to review it it beyond me. I mean, it was pulled shortly before release before and they didn't seem to notice. Ah well, any publicity is good publicity I suppose.

And Rolling Stone's bad reviewing plays second fiddle to Alternative Press. While a few of them are decent/getting better, a great number of them are just god awful.

DroppedUrPocket

01/27/06, 11:50 AM

uh oh, major media source gives a coveted album a bad review....

those reviewers just don't understand! they don't know anything about music! damn their generic knowledge of generic music and stating their generic opinions!

damn, i hate rolling stone too, but for shit's sake people, why would you even care what rolling stone has to say?
Well, this probably wasn't directed at me, but I just think if they're gonna talk an album up like that, they would have given it a better final score.

RockVocalPower

01/27/06, 11:52 AM

You guys do realize that 3/5 isn't that bad of a score?

DroppedUrPocket

01/27/06, 11:53 AM

4/5 seems right by the way he was talking about it though. I dunno. Shit. Sue me.

operator

01/27/06, 11:56 AM

hmm that was the worst review ever. it sounds like it was written by a 15 year old with a Hawthorne Heights shirt on.

thejetstolehome

01/27/06, 11:57 AM

it gets a 5/5 in my book so fuck rolling stone...yet i read the review anyway...sweet fucking christ i'm bored...

Drew Beringer

01/27/06, 11:57 AM

rollingstone is a horrendous magazine.

somethingyellow

01/27/06, 11:57 AM

rolling stone reviews suck

RockVocalPower

01/27/06, 12:00 PM

Actually this dude is pretty much spot-on with the review.

ACA

01/27/06, 12:00 PM

3/5 is very generous.

-ACA

elonman05

01/27/06, 12:03 PM

I love when they give amazing albums 3 stars but give trick daddy or something 5 stars. It's prolly J-Records fault. They prolly didn't give them any free shit when they sent the cd...that pisses writers at Rolling Stone off when they don't get free t-shirts to showcase off to people so they think they're "fresh"

RockVocalPower

01/27/06, 12:07 PM

You kids jizz over this nutcase wayyyyyyy too much.

JoshIsArealBoy

01/27/06, 12:08 PM

eh who cares...its rolling stone. worst magazine reveiwing greatest record. doesnt work.

agreed.

AHMYBRAIN

01/27/06, 12:11 PM

This album is a classic, and I don't care what RS has to say about it.

AmIWrong

01/27/06, 12:11 PM

3/5 is very generous.

-ACA

Dear "ACA,"

Why do you people always sign your fucking name like that? Please let me know.

Sincerely,
Me(AmIWrong /\)

G.rex

01/27/06, 12:11 PM

I don't see what the problem is that everyone has with Rolling Stone. No, they're not always spot-on with their reviews, and they definitely overhype some terrible stuff, but Rob Sheffield is probably one of the best music critics today, if not the best.

blinkrules

01/27/06, 12:15 PM

if they gave the album 5/5 you idiots would be saying how great a magazine it was. and 5/5 on Rolling Stone means classic, and this album is not even close to that.

TFC88

01/27/06, 12:15 PM

for an band like say anything, 3/5 from rolling stone is good. 3 usually means its good, and if its in your prefered genre, you'll like it a lot. 4 means its a great album, and 5 is excellent. the say anything album is good, overall, but it isnt going to do much genre crossing in its popularity.

xearlynovemberx

01/27/06, 12:16 PM

io dont like this band or this magazine

SuperJoe

01/27/06, 12:19 PM

Well, this probably wasn't directed at me, but I just think if they're gonna talk an album up like that, they would have given it a better final score.

nah. anyone who's got mad love for the trio is cool in my book. i just remember the way everyone flipped shit when thrice got a poor review. i mean seriously, it's rolling stone, who gives a shit?

djUbilla

01/27/06, 12:24 PM

uh oh, major media source gives a coveted album a bad review....

those reviewers just don't understand! they don't know anything about music! damn their generic knowledge of generic music and stating their generic opinions!

damn, i hate rolling stone too, but for shit's sake people, why would you even care what rolling stone has to say?If we care about what Rolling Stone says the terrorists would have won?

...too soon?

Icarealot

01/27/06, 12:28 PM

Rolling Stone sucks ass and always has.

Check these blogs out if you like to laugh.

www.myspace.com/cleverendeavor

SuperJoe

01/27/06, 12:32 PM

If we care about what Rolling Stone says the terrorists would have won?

...too soon?

DJ Ubilla's Joke
3 stars out of 5

- College DJ aims to make humor out of response to Rolling Stone article.

This joke was decent. delivery was relatively strong and to the point, however i feel you could have done better content wise. overall, it brought a smile to my face and a mild exhale of laughter.

Key Moment: When the reading of RS magazine is compared to a terrorist infiltration

by Super Joe

Nate_RAWKS

01/27/06, 12:41 PM

DJ Ubilla's Joke
3 stars out of 5

- College DJ aims to make humor out of response to Rolling Stone article.

This joke was decent. delivery was relatively strong and to the point, however i feel you could have done better content wise. overall, it brought a smile to my face and a mild exhale of laughter.

Key Moment: When the reading of RS magazine is compared to a terrorist infiltration

by Super Joe

HAHAHA!!! Damn... that's some funny shit right there.....

weezer182

01/27/06, 12:48 PM

i would of given it higher then a 3 but then again its rolling stones

zizou1790

01/27/06, 12:59 PM

hahah fuck rollingstone

Ruggiero2oo8

01/27/06, 01:01 PM

thats no good

Go Analog Baby

01/27/06, 01:09 PM

5 out of 5. That is all I have to say.

surfwaxsideshow

01/27/06, 01:15 PM

This is a three out of five star album. Rolling Stone is usually pretty solid in their reviews.

SuperJoe

01/27/06, 01:23 PM

This is a three out of five star album. Rolling Stone is usually pretty solid in their reviews.

when i first heard it 2 summers ago, i would have given it a 4/5, for maybe nothing else than being an actually clever/solid album. it was kind of a nice change of pace and something that i was able to digest coming from a more punk/hardcore vantage point. however, i have only listened to it maybe a handful of times since then. it just doesn't seem to have a lasting appeal (to me anyway). so right now, i would have to give a 3 out of 5 as well.

UrOwNdISaStR180

01/27/06, 01:24 PM

They give it a three out of five because it's a safe grade. Some people read three out of five as mediocore others as good. If the album blows up, they can say they gave it a good review as reference.

mereditj

01/27/06, 01:32 PM

I don't understand how they talk about it so well, and then give it a 3/5. Haha.

So agreed. I mean, if you're gonna say that much nice stuff about an album, at least give it a 4. At least a 4.

In other news, the video shoot for "Alive With The Glory Of Love" was amazing last night. I can't wait to see how the video comes out. And the song version the band was playing/singing last night was the un-edited version. We'll see how that goes over on t.v. and stuff....

crzydrmmer

01/27/06, 02:04 PM

what the fuck does rolling stone know about music ever?

splitsecond

01/27/06, 02:15 PM

I think a 3/5 is fair for this album. To me some of the songs are hit, and some are total misses.

kramer513

01/27/06, 02:23 PM

In other news, the video shoot for "Alive With The Glory Of Love" was amazing last night. I can't wait to see how the video comes out. And the song version the band was playing/singing last night was the un-edited version. We'll see how that goes over on t.v. and stuff....

ahh i was there too! it was sweet, we most likely saw each other. what do you look like?

sweethypocrisy

01/27/06, 02:41 PM

3/5 is pretty gracious imo.

Sureshot182

01/27/06, 02:46 PM

dare i say money has to do with some of those reviews....

fearthesloths

01/27/06, 03:08 PM

I think 3/5 stars is about what i would give the album. I personally don't think that it is anywhere close to as good as everyone makes it seem.

1000shadesofred

01/27/06, 05:06 PM

rolling stones supports artists like James Blunt... enough said.,.. that guy is horrible

1000shadesofred

01/27/06, 05:09 PM

I think 3/5 stars is about what i would give the album. I personally don't think that it is anywhere close to as good as everyone makes it seem.

say anything album was a complete break away from the same bland genre oriented music... it was a great album, and "if you dont think its the greatest cd in the world, i will fight you, i mean it" (anchorman) haha

nud0

01/27/06, 08:39 PM

They didnt even mention Admit It!! which surprises me

smogs

01/27/06, 11:19 PM

They didnt even mention Admit It!! which surprises me

Yeah, I like that song a lot. You'd think a magazine would talk about it.

Oh, and by the way, you are awesome because
A) You have an LT icon
B) You obviously support the Chargers
C) You're little title thing is "For Members Only..." which I'm hoping is as in the Northstar song.

Woo-pah for you.

JunkBondTrader

01/28/06, 02:25 AM

whoa whoa whoa......hold on

you might as well consider Rolling Stones point system out of 4 because they NEVER EVER give out 5's. And if they do its for a record that will absolutely change the world. Fuck, The Strokes- Is This It? only got 4 stars......and sorry but that album is better than "...is a real Boy" and had a mountain of hype behind it. I would give the record prolly 4/5 if I worked at Rolling Stone but I dont so who cares. I dont give a fuck what they say, I still love the record and Im always going to.

onxpoint

01/28/06, 07:45 AM

oh, I didnt mean that kanye west is generic. im talking about the ones with like "lil" in their name - lil scrappy, lil wayne, etc. etc.

I'd much rather listen to Tha Carter II than Say Anything

just because you don't listen to a genre of music doesnt mean standout records shouldnt get good reviews

TSLManager

01/28/06, 12:58 PM

From what I have heard is that a writer writes the review and an editor gives it the stars so a person chooses the stars possibly without even hearing the record. that explains why records could get amazing reviews and get less stars than the review seems like it deserves

I don't understand how they talk about it so well, and then give it a 3/5. Haha.

InaGreendase

01/28/06, 08:08 PM

This reviewer has not heard Piebald.

Either that or Rolling Stone figured a Piebald comparison would be beyond their readers. Sad.

tman2006

02/26/06, 05:08 PM

Rolling Stone gave "Deja Entendu" a 3/5 also, so those are Tate's two little babies with that generous score from RS. Rolling Stone covers a broad range of music, this site does not, nor do I expect it to cover anything other than the emo scene. That's what it's set up to do. So AP can afford to give very generous scores within the specific genre. "...Is a Real Boy" and "Deja Entendu" tower above all the rest of this emo shit. I personally love "...Is a Real Boy" for what it is. I relate to it more than any other record I own. But if you can sit there and actually think that "...Is a Real Boy" is on par lyrically or instrumentally with anything from bands in the league of Radiohead or The Rolling Stones... hell even Kanye instrumentally, you're out of your fucking mind. Max himself didn't even think it was that great of a record. "It’s not the most self empowered album, is it?" - Max Bemis