The Academy Is...
Almost Here

I’m impressed. The Academy Is... has released a debut album that is sure to be on many top 10 lists at the end of the year, much to the dismay of more seasoned musicians. I saw The Academy Is... play live once, when they opened for Something Corporate in Washington DC in January. Their show is definitely a must-see if they come to your area but my reason for mentioning it is that when I finally got my hands on a copy of Almost Here (over a month later) I still recognized and remembered the songs from the set they played. That’s a testament to the quality of the songs. I couldn’t believe the voice that emanated from William Becket in Washington DC and when that voice (a combination of New York-y garage rock and full bodied melody with a dash of pop-punk whine thrown in) is combined with rock guitar playing of Mike Carden and Thomas Conrad over a rhythm section (Adam Siska, bass and Andy Mrotek drums) that doesn’t always follow the rules you end up with a hybrid of a band that can’t be stereotyped.
         The sound and lyrical content of Almost Here displays a maturity that most bands will never achieve. Most prominently shown in “The Phrase That Pays” a somber but victorious tune about a kid that receives a terminal diagnosis and rather than give up on life decides to “Take a chance, and make it big because it’s the last you’ll ever get.” Other standout tracks are ”Down and Out” another song about life shitting on you but not giving up because life is “always up or down, never down and out.” There is a certain attitude that great artists adopt and I think that The Academy Is... have created an important album because of this attitude which they reveal in Black Mamba: “Oh Mr. Magazine, I never wrote one single thing for you or your so-called music scene” when musicians create from the heart you get something pure and beautiful, just likeAlmost Here.
Review by Nathan Wrann