The Academy Is... - Santi
Bio Overall Instrumental Recording & Studio Magic Live Potential In Retrospect Album Info Ratings Explanation of the Ratings
The Academy Is... is a band from the midwest and this is their sophomore album with their main members being William Beckett and Michael Carden.
On my first listen to the album, i wasn't exactly too happy. i thought it wasn't their best stuff. i felt like they were struggling to find a way to present themselves. but after another listen, i figured that they were doing this on purpose. that this weird funky experimental way of music was their way of expressing themselves and another direction that they were happy with. and after realizing that, i noticed that the music came together really well. the album has grown on me really quickly after a second listen, i began to appreciate it. it's not as catchy as their first album but it is a great album to listen to.
The Butcher is pretty nice in this one. they have a new guitarist he seems to be pretty decent. i think what made this album different from their first album was the vox. they took a different approach i think. it sounds compressed? it doesn't sound like a raw singing voice that i was accustomed to in their first album. his voice seems to be altered alot. sometimes its the raw voice, sometimes its really compressed or sometimes it feels like they but on some weird airy effect on it. the band is complete. you cant complain about the band. this is a band that knows what they are doing. but no one is a SUPERSTAR. i guess.
as i said before, most of the studio magic seems to be on the beckett's voice. recording is done well and the sound is very well produced. cept in one song, bulls in brooklyn. im not sure if the drums are suppose to sound like that in the beginning... its just seems like blown out speakers that they used on that portion. but im gonna assume they did it on purpose cuz it happens in the intro drum beat of that song.
personally, i was never sure how this band was live... so i went on youtube to look for any live footage. there wasn't much on youtube, which i found suspicious. but i did find a few and they knew how to make the crowd go wild. with just seeing that, i think they'd be a band worth watching once but maybe not again... they aint no jimmy eat world or anything but i think they are worth a concert or two.
im happy with this album. kinda like the way incubus evolved from their first album to their current album, its only the beginning for the academy is and their evolution is going to fuel them to be better and better.
Released –
Number of Songs – 11
Album Length - ~40 Minutes
Singles – We've Got A Big Mess On Our Hands
Recommended Songs – Same Blood, Sleeping With Giants, Neighbors, You Might Have Noticed
www.theacademyis.com
Lyrics – 8
Melody – 8
Instrumentally – 8.5
Recording – 8.5
Studio Magic – 6
Originality – 9
Live Potential – 8.5
Overall - 8.5
WJOD - 8.5
Rating is from 1-10. 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest.
Overall is NOT an average of the other ratings.
This is similar to grading system. A 7 is a C. etc.
WJOD = worth dl/jacking off danny.
