Customer Reviews

Almost Here

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I heard about this band back in early June. I was very skeptical at first but they were recommended to me by FOB fans, so I thought I'd give them a listen. One word: unbelievable. I fell in love almost instantly. I am so glad I listened to this band.

Attention-This track certainly got my attention. Upon hearing this song, I knew I could expect great things from the rest of the CD.

Season-Yet another wonderful track. Very inspiring.

Slow Down-One of my favorite tracks. Everything that is written in this song is, sadly, true.

The Phrase That Pays-Used to be my least favorite track but it's grown on me. Good song to listen to if you're ever feeling down.

Black Mamba-Hands down, the best track on the CD. I love his way of dealing with the press and to make a statement such as that is very daring. Kudos for that.

Skeptics and True Believers-The first song I ever listened to by TAI. Very addicting. I find it stuck in my head a lot.

Classifieds-I love the music on this one.And the lyrics are wonderfully done, per usual.

Checkmarks-Another one of my favorites. William's range is amazing. And once more, the boys are making a statement.

Down and Out-Again, another favorite. Good to listen to when you're sad, good to listen to when you're happy. It's just so good that no matter what mood you're in, you'll enjoy this song.

Almost Here-Excellent music on this one. Very catchy words. For some reason I can't help but smile when listening to this track.

Overall, one of the best damn CD's I ever spent my money on. These boys are writing about everything that matters. Life, money, relationships, family, careers, everything. They pulled it off in a way I never thought would be possible. This CD is so unique and I don't think you'll ever come across another like it. Pure gold. I cannot wait for their next CD and expect it will be just as good, or if possible, even better.

Much love to them and this brilliant CD
-Paige

A few months ago, before every single moron at school was singing to Fall Out Boy's "Sugar We're Going Down, I went to a Fall Out Boy concert. It was actually just a week or two before they released Cork Tree. They played Sugar, which was their single at the time, and let's just say people weren't excited. Anyways, to the point. Before Fall Out Boy came on stage there were three openers. The first and third sucked, but the second caught us by surprise. It was none other than the Academy Is. They started off with Attention and all of my friends there were like, "Wow, this is an opener?" They got our attention...

So we got their CD and sure enough they are evening more amazing on the Almost Here. I'm not sure what to call them genrewise. William's voice isn't whiny like most emo bands yet the lyrics and music sounds like emo. I like to call it Indie, but I guess that's not appropriate. If anything I guess you could Punk-Pop, but they're no Simple Plan.

For the exception of the title track, which is faily mediocre, every song on Almost Here is exceptional. The most distinguish tracks on the CD would have to be "Black Mamba" and "Checkmarks." Mamba has the most infectous chorus of any song on the CD. But, Checkmarks has best beat and it moves more than any other song, thus it became their first music video.

A few weeks after the Fall Out Boy concert, I got to go to an Academy Is concert. They were the main act, so there was only about 30 people in the club. They were even better than they were at the Fall Out Boy and the crowd was even crazier. Now just recently my sister was watching MTV and as I passed by, "Checkmarks" came on as a commercial (one of those bands to watch things) and we just kind of stopped and stared at the screen. Oh crap, now they're on MTV. I had terrible images of people at school singing "The Phrase that Pays" offkey. However, thankfully, nobody seemed to notice it. The Academy Is' Almost Here is an excellent album that should be a part of any rock, emo, or punk collection. Buy it and show it to your friends. Just make sure they're not singing "she's just the girl I'm lookin' for"

I saw the Academy Is... for the first time at a Fall Out Boy show, and didn't pay much attention because i was at the back and antsy to see FOB. They did spark enough interest in me to go out and buy their album, though. Let me just tell you that I had a smile on my face the whole time. Good pop-punk is actually a hard thing to do. You have to have the attitude of good pop-punk bands, but keep hooks large enough to capture your audience. Most bands fail, as seasoned punk fans probably know by now. This band, however, succeed easily. This ten song debut is one of the best written albums i have heard from a band in this genre for a while. Truly a pleasure

Attention grabs your ear right away (Attention, attention, may I have all your eyes and ears...) and continues to be a marvelously catchy song. Whenever I hear a great opening song, I get really excited for a great new band, but wait for the disappointment of the end of the album lagging. This album does no such thing, though. Seasons is a fast paced catchy song that finds lead singer William Beckett pleading "So show me something we haven't heard yet." Slow Down was initially my favorite song on the album. It starts off slow enough, but then stays true to his word when he proclaims "And then we'll turn it up and we'll play a little faster." The song takes off and leaves you quite happy by the end.

The Phrase That Pays starts off with an amusing slow acoustic intro, and then takes off to become one of the better songs on the album. Black Mamba was an instant love of mine. Bitter lyrics spit at the listner backed by sugary sweet music. One of my favorite combinations, and really what pop-punk should be about. Skeptics and True Believers is a great song, but will probably leave you hoping that this isn't the beginning of the demise of the album. It is truly a great track, but lacks some of the pop sensibility of the rest of the album thusfar.

Classifieds dispels all of these thoughts, though. This is my favorite song on the album. It starts out slow, but massively catchy, and trust me it only gets worse. I find myself wondering how they got to be so good at what they do during this song. Checkmarks is the loudest of the songs on the album. It is certainly out of place with the other mostly happy and catchy songs, but certainly holds its own in its other ways. Down and Out is a song you will be singing all day the second you hear it. It is one of the more irresistable songs I have ever heard. Almost Here is a great anthem to end the album

The Academy Is... is a great pop-punk band. The emphasis is very largely on the pop part, but you can certainly see the punk influences in songs like Black Mamba and Checkmarks. This band is amazing, and is equally as amazing live for anyone interested. They are energetic, perfect in sound, and clearly want to be there performing for the crowd. For anyone who is into Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, or any other pop punk band, you will love this. For all you hardcore punks who are hating me for this, well why are you on here anyway? This isn't for everyone, but it certainly makes me smile from ear to ear

This CD amazed me so much. I first found TAI on the radio in the beginning of summer '05, hearing their song The Phrase That Pays. I decided I'd give it a shot and buy the CD, and i fell in love instantly. Their songs make me want to turn it up real loud and dance. They have a great stage performace, as i found out July 15 at Bloomfield Ave Cafe, when everyone went crazy the second they started playing.

Attention - a great way to introduce the CD
Season - not many lyrics to this song, it talks about them as a band and what they went through for the CD. its an OK song

Slow Down - catchy lyrics "don't quit 'til 47, and then we'll turn it up and we'll play a little faster". this is one of my personal favorites

The Phrase that Pays - the first song that i ever heard by TAI. its a very good song, gives a little twist by having a sung conversation in the beginning lyrics. "hold your head high, heavy heart"

Black Mamba - I get this song stuck in my head almost everyday. The lyrics just stick with you

Skeptics and True Believers - i dont like the lyrics to this song as much as others, but it is a good song. The chorus is good, like in most of their other songs also

Classifieds - I find this song pretty funny if you listen to the lyrics.

Checkmarks - TAI recently released a music video for this song, its a public favorite

Down and Out - one of the longer songs, good lyrics, very catchy. a slower song on the CD, but still very good. another of my favorites

Almost Here - a good ending song for the CD

I say you should give this CD a try, it's somewhat similar to other bands out now, but the lyrics have more straightforward meaning and better choruses. The Academy Is... already here.

That is definitely a valid statement. Most debut albums show a band being very excited about being signed and making music that is fun but basically sounds like everything else. Typically the debut album is something that people who become fans later on don't have and probably don't ever want to have. The Academy Is... isn't typical in any aspect of what they do. This debut album is better than most best efforts put forth by veteran bands (I won't mention any names). William Beckett's lyrics are unlike anyone else's, they're witty, clever, and self-assured. He's not writing these lyrics to catch the ears of as many people as he can, he's writing them for himself and anyone who feels they can relate. The music is a display of superior talent without going overboard. These guys are going places.

I picked up this album at my local library after listening to 'Checkmarks' on my friend's ipod. I liked the song, but I wasn't sure how good the rest of it would be so I didn't want to spend money on something that might turn out to be bad. But as soon as I listened to it, I rushed out to Best Buy to get a copy. Believe me it was that good.
What I found in the Academy is... was different then what i gained from the more popular rock-punk bands of today. They actually had lyrics I could relate to, and songs that evoked emotions something a band hasnt done to me in a long long time.
Try this C.D. it is definetly worth your money. They are wayyy better then some of the more popular bands these days. This album is definetly among my favorites.

Best Tracks:
Seasons
Attention
Slow Down
Black Mamba
Skeptics and True Believers
Classifieds
Checkmarks (still my personal favorite)

Once upon a time, I had this great guy friend who I was very in love with. I asked him if he wouldn't mind getting this CD for me, and he did. He gave it to me back in like December, and I didn't listen to it right away. Well, days turned into months, and our wonderful friendship fell apart. (It was his fault...he made very bad choices.) Well, I just happened to find that CD about a week ago, and haven't stopped listening to it since. It was such a good time to find it too, because Warped Tour was only a few days away.

If you're wondering what that story had to do with anything, I'll tell you. Listening to the lyrics on that CD for the first time was almost like something I would have written to him at that exact moment. I didn't really know that it was even possible for me to relate to lyrics so much. My favorite lines are, "Would you believe me if I said I didn't need you,
cause I wouldn't believe you if you said the same to me" from "Skeptics and True Believers", and, "Now that I'm grown I've seen friendships fall to pieces...Some things are far too good to go ahead and let go", from "Down and Out". My favorite songs are definitely "Down and Out", and "Almost Here" isn't too bad either. Here, I'll rate them just because.
Attention: 6/10. Ehh...it's okay. Personally, I would have chosen a better song to open up the CD, but I guess the lyrics do make it a good opening song.
Season: 6/10. I used to like this song more when I didn't play it so much. It's catchy, but it could get on anyone's nerves easily.
Slow Down: 10/10. This was one of the first songs that I'd heard by TAI..., and I loved it from the first time I heard it. The lyrics are awesome, and the melodies are great, too.
The Phrase That Pays: 7/10. It's not bad I guess. It's not one of my favorites though. It just starts to get kind of annoying after a while.
Black Mamba: 4/10. This is my least favorite song on this CD. It's just obnoxious.
Skeptics and True Believers: 8/10 It's good. The lyrics are great, but I think the music itself is a little lacking. Don't get me wrong, I still like it.
Classifieds: 8/10. I love William's voice in this song. The music's pretty cheerful, and it makes me want to dance around the room.
Checkmarks: 8/10. Even though this song is EVERYWHERE, it still hasn't lost anything for me. I've heard that this is a good song to mosh to, but I wouldn't know.
Down and Out: 20/10 (lol). This is BY FAR my favorite song on this CD. This is the song that really captured me the first time I listened to it. I could rave and rave about this song, but I won't.
Almost Here: 9/10. This is one great title track. Another one of my favorites. I like how its kind of quiet at the beginning, and how there's that pause at the end, and then it picks back up for a second. Bien.

I'd like to apologize for the length of this review. I just love this CD too much to make it short.

the first song i heard from this band was the song The Season, and i fell in love instantly, the grooving, solid pop drumbeats, the intricate and catchy as hell guitar lines, and some of the most infectious melodies i've heard in a long time, this cd is a must have for anyone that digs catchy, fun music, if you buy this cd and like what you hear, you'd also probably like Fallout Boy, Spitalfield, and My Former Self.

I picked up this CD without ever hearing of them. Not knowing what to expect, I popped it in and was suprised. Their songs are catchy, and they have lots of potential but they just haven't put it to full use. Their CD is recorded nicely, but it's probably not going to be something that is going to stick with you. If you like PANIC! at the disco or Fall Out Boy, pick this CD up because it is for you.

Its a good album, Its not the best album but i enjoy listening to it. Theres something unique about William becketts voicals, they dont sound like some typical emo bands that are out there. i guess you have to give them a chance because they are just starting out but i cant wait to see what the next ablum sounds like. songs that i like are almost here, attention, seasions, skeptics and true believers. I love the song checkmarks, its the best song on the ablum.