In light of the recent name change this band underwent, their new name will provide the template for the remainder of this review. The Academy Is…not a total Taking Back Sunday rip-off, but the sound is definitely there, especially the track "In Our Defense."
The Academy Is…thankfully not that poppy, for what that's worth.
The Academy Is…much less dynamic than they're obviously going for, which seriously affects the overall feel.
The Academy Is…treading that awkward "laid-back-but-not-quite" middle ground between energetic and sincerely mellow á la Northstar, but aren't comfortable with it.
The Academy Is…fronted by a singer who, despite some occasional clever vocal patterns (nonetheless overshadowed by the fact that Adam Lazzara has already done them), really isn't that strong of a vocalist at all.
The Academy Is…pretty good at hiding their lack of talent with lots of pretty little atmospheric octaves.
The Academy Is…occasionally capable of writing decent lyrics when said lyrics have an actual direction.
The Academy Is…further proof that if you play pop-punk in Chicago (as opposed to Chicago pop-punk, if you get my drift), Fueled By Ramen is probably already interested in you, regardless of talent, originality, creativeness, etc. al.
The Academy Is…nonetheless still capable of putting together a decent melody once in a while (I feel quite guilty when one of them is enough to make me sing along), which is why that score to the side is a little higher than planned, yet they still leave plenty of room for improvement. MP3
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Judas Kiss
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