The Academy Is…

If bands like the Academy Is… where around when I was in high school, pop tarts like N’sync wouldn’t be the apple of my friends’ affection, this would be. This album pretty much sums up the high school experience the band had as they say goodbye to high school and transition into a new chapter in their young lives. Vocalist William Beckett reminisces about young love, and what all teens go through during the high school years. The album was streaming on the band’s Myspace page prior to its release for their fans, but any die-hard would still go out, support the band and buy the album.

The whole album is upbeat, melodic and oh so very pop-punk. Easily addable to your iPODS for a wicked summer mix tape. Although the album came out last year, it will survive this summer too. Each song transitions into one another which I love, the dead silence between songs kills the mood.

The album starts off with a jolt of pure melodic madness as this pop-punk outfit shows what it has to offer. With comparisons to their debut album, I couldn’t help but offer that the band has managed to keep their style of play and sound, but improve upon everything with every release. 5 tracks in and Beckett shines with a falsetto effort on “Rumored Nights”. Followed by “Automatic eyes” which is similar, but different in their own right. “After the last Midtown Show” (probably one of my favourite tracks off this album), is a ballad that offers teh sweet piano sounds of Andrew McMahon of Jack’s Mannequin. You can hear where his influence has taken the song.

Notable mentions on the album are that members of Jacks Mannequin and Cobra Starship make cameos. I think The Academy Is… made a solid effort here and as they say goodbye to the high school scene and hello to a more mature future, they can rest easy being one of the most, if not THE most popular band on their label.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. About a Girl
02. Summer Hair=Forever Young
03. His Girl Friday
04. Test
05. Rumored Nights
06. Automatic Eyes
07. Crowded Room
08. Coppertone
09. After the Last Midtown Show
10. Beware! Cougar!
11. Paper Chase
12. One More Weekend

Run Time: 43:57