Insanely Awe-dical

The Academy is

may sound like a handful of bands, but it definitely stays away from maintaining a “general rock band” type of sound. The guitar flows with more than punk repetition, and the rock harmony created fuses fairly well. The album opens with a general call for “Attention,” where a steady drum and guitar synergy pump up the listener. In “The Phrase That Pays,” the singer croons about being deathly ill, then fires into a chorus about seizing the day. “Hold your head high heavy heart. So take a chance and make it big, cause it’s the last you’ll ever get. If we don’t take it, when will we make it?” “Checkmarks” hails as a powerfully energetic song, leading into a blasting chorus with a low-tone call of semi-desperation.

I would be at fault to quickly define The Academy is as a general standard rock band, paralleling Yellowcard (minus the flowing violin) or Green Day (minus the form-fitting voice of Billy Joe). I believe they have a wonderful mix of punk rock energy and guitar, combined with a non-whiny
emo sound.