THE ACADEMY IS “Almost Here”
If Christopher Reeve learned to walk before he died he probably wouldn’t have walked as well as the rest of us. Regardless of that fact we would’ve congratulated him and sung his praises. The accomplishment of overcoming insurmountable odds would have overshadowed his obvious shortcomings. That’s how you have to approach Almost Here, the new album from The Academy Is. The Academy Is (still called The Academy at this point) released their debut self-titled EP in early 2004 and it was panned by critics as one of the biggest musical blunders of the year (and rightfully so – Ed.). Most people probably would have been happy to see the band crawl back under the rock from which they came. Something weird happened though. Regardless of the gross amount of press saying “crap,” Fueled By Ramen signed the Chicago quintet. Fast forward to 2005 and we have Almost Here, The Academy Is’ full-length follow up to their self-titled EP. With producer James Paul Wisner (Underoath, Further Seems Forever) at the helm, the band has created a fun, enjoyable ten-song pop rock record. The album is built on a foundation of upbeat rock with a pop punk mentality reminiscent of Midtown’s Living Well Is The Best Revenge release. A quick listen makes it abundantly clear that The Academy Is has definite talent. Their verses for instance tend to go above and beyond the standard emo-pop fare. Flowy dub parts and mathy-post rock parts define the verses, but unfortunately the group reverts back into the aforementioned pop rock sound in the choruses. While the choruses are damn catchy, it destroys the band’s best chances of creating their own sound. Singer William Beckett also deserves particular praise. His sly delivery is unlike any other band in the emo-pop scene (and a far cry from the Adam Lazarra influence he copped on the band’s EP). He tends to dart around the lyrics, talking at times, in a manner that seems to have no standard meter yet somehow flows perfectly. If the group can maintain Beckett’s delivery and develop choruses with the same style as their verses while maintaining their catchy hooks, then their next album could solidify them as a band with their own sound in a field of soundalikes. Sadly the group has already signed to a major label, which means that their next record will probably be devoid of all the interesting parts of this record. In conclusion, whether this record is worth picking up remains questionable. The Academy Is aren’t doing anything bad, but they aren’t doing anything groundbreaking either. Regardless, anyone who knows The Academy Is’ prior work should at least download a song or two from this album and marvel at the transformation that they’ve made. It’s a big one. – Review by Mark Jourdian
Fueled by Ramen
