The Academy Is - The Phrase That Pays (Fueled By Raman)
UK release date: 25 September 2006
The Academy Is..., a name that instantly has you intrigued. Another product of the Myspace evolution, the Illinois 5-piece have all the hallmarks of a band that is designed purely to sell records, yet there is something about The Phrase That Pays that undoubtedly leaves its mark.
Essentially, this is what you would expect from the label mates of Fall Out Boy, namely big choruses and tight vocal harmonies. The Academy Is... deliver these, but add a touch of subtlety that keeps interest levels high throughout its 3-minute duration. Rapid switches of dynamics early in the track display both the huge guitar sound of Tim Conrad and Mike Carden, and the capability that this band has to invent something worth listening to.
By ending the track before it becomes repetitive, the listener is also left wanting to hear more. Plenty have tried and failed, but The Academy Is... may just have found a formula that works. One to watch out for.