The Academy EP,
The Academy IsEvery so often a band comes along that inspires a shedload of wannabe clone bands. I guess The Beatles paved the way for many a good-lookin' guitar band, Black Sabbath invented heavy metal while Keith Harris and Orville opened doors for cuddly puppets the world over. Or something. Even The Darkness are now trendsetters, that's how bad the depths of the music barrel have to be scraped. I personally blame the record label executives who are desperate to milk a trend for all it's worth (see MC Lars' 'Signing Emo' track for all of this, and more, in hilarious detail), but by the same token the band shave to be blamed for being unoriginal with their sound. You may wonder where the hell I'm going with this, but stick with me. The Academy (now known as The Academy Is, but more on that later) have been influenced by Brand New. I'm sure they won't mind the comparison, but this record wreaks of 'Deja Entendu'. The thing is, I love that record almost as much as my mum and while this self-titled EP isn't in the same league as Jesse Lacey's lyrical opus, it's still pretty good. Phew.
The Academy released this EP on US label LLR earlier this year, and have since inked a deal with Fueled By Ramen. If you bear in mind FBR's penchance for Chicago bands - Fallout Boy and August Premier are too that immediately spring to mind - it may not be considered too much of a shock. The band even added a strange 'Is' suffix to their name as well. I don't know why. But if you take this EP on its merits, it's actually pretty good. A pretty-good-in-a-not-as-good-as-Brand-New-kinda-way admittedly, but pretty good nonetheless. After the opening strains of the atmospheric, and rather bizarre, 'Proverbial Unrest', 'Author' sets the tone of the record. It's choppy, never stop/start but you never feel too comfortable with the way the record will take you. The lyrics are conceptual, with the vocals coming across in a similar style to the lazy drawl that makes Northstar sound oh-so good.
And on we go - 'In Our Defense' is a real keeper, with melodies caressing the guitar parts like a beautiful man making love to a beautiful woman, just as Isaac Hayes would like it. The closing 'Absolution' is pretty grand too, using the vocals to great effect as the guitars and basslines hammer out from all sides. If I was to criticise this record I would state the production is a little ropey, but for a band that take influence from the likes of Brand New and Northstar, they were always unlikely to compete in these stakes. But despite my numerous references to the Long Island bands, and their friends, The Academy suggest they are merely influenced by their peers and very rarely need to rip off their contemporaries.
'The Academy' is a smart little EP which rightly attracted the attention of a larger label. I'm not wholly sure what said label's intentions are, but there's enough here to suggest the band could well make their mark with their own sound. Let's hope so anyway. I can hear the scraping of the barrel and I really don't like it...
Paul
