Customer Reviews

Fast Times at Barrington High

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Just because this record seems like they are backsliding, who cares. This is a pop masterpiece front to back and I havent taken it out of my car cd player since I got it. I havent heard something so catchy since Teenage Fanclubs' "Bandwagonescue". Instantly catchy with all the right hooks and melodies, this is a perfect Summertime record.

Why did a band that was seemingly maturing, turn back time to relive high school glory days? I don't know exactly but they do the job quite well. It's a gamble when a band goes for the thematic concept album. Some are hits (Pink Floyds' The Wall) and others are misses (Smashing Pumpkins' Machina). However, "The Academy Is..." pulls it off on songs like "About A Girl", "Summer Hair (Forever Young)", and "Beware Cougar!". The music represents high school -- it's fun yet at times, complicated. It's a time to enjoy the freedoms of youth, yet also a time to look toward the next chapter in life. "The Academy Is..." captures that feeling perfectly. Although the album lacks the musical and emotional depth of "Santi", it's fitting. These songs are from the perspective of an 18 year old kid that is coming of age, so to speak. This album is almost a prelude to "Almost Here" and "Santi" - a back story - and a very enjoyable one at that. As William Beckett sings in "After the Last Midtown Show": "Right here, the best days of our lives". Very true.

Fast Times at Barrington High is a great album. I love every song on this CD and that's great. There's just a few artists who can make you love every song on a CD and I think TAI has done just that in a brilliant way.
The songs are catchy and fun. They are really "a celebration of youth", I agree with Beckett on that.

Now the thing is, if you are an "Almost Here" & "Santi" lover this album goes in an absolute different direction so you may find it not as good as them.


Track by track:

About a girl: A very good song with good lyrics, but I'm not sure I could listen to this song all day if you know what I mean.
7/10
Summer Hair = Forever Young: For some reason, I think this song is different from the other on the album. Of course, it doesn't mean it is not good, I really like it.
6/10
His Girl Friday: Catchy. That's all I can say.
8/10
The Test: One of my favourite songs on the album. Good lyrics. "You're a stranger I know well and not at all". I love it.
8/10
Rumored Nights: Another one of my favourite songs on the album. Great vocals and lyrics.
9/10
Automatic Eyes: I can't really say much of this song. It's good but after listening to this song for a while I feel like something it's missing.
7/10
Crowded Room: Great song. It's the one that most reminds me of TAI previous work. I can definitely hear some things from Almost Here and Santi here.
8/10
Coppertone: "But the charade is never going to last... So pick the poison and pour yourself a glass." This song is one of the best songs on the album, another one of my favourite ones. Besides, this song is just starting with the best part of the album to me.
10/10
After The Last Midtown Show: McMahon can't do anything wrong. He's a great piano player. This song would be as great as it is even without his collaboration but that collaboration earns it an extra point.
10/10
Beware! Cougar!: Catchy. Good lyrics. I think this song is great and right before Paper Chase is the best place for it.
9/10
Paper Chase: The best song in the album. When I'm listening to this song I see the celebration of youth Beckett talks about. This song is catchy and fun.
Beckett has done a great work, his vocals are brilliant.
10+/10
One More Weekend: After Paper Chase it's hard to think of a better song because Paper Chase is THE song. It is even hard to think of a good song to come after Paper Chase but One More Weekend is really good. I think it was a great choice to make this one be the last song and the one after Paper Chase. Even when every song on the album is great, I don't think any other song would do as well as One More Weekend to finish it.
8/10

I totally get the feelings of disappointment that people may feel when initially hearing these songs. I mean, compared to "Santi" this album is a total detour from that darker rock sound into a blatantly simple shiny pop sound. At first, listening to the album made the band seem like they had regressed into a more generic pop style, but it makes a lot more sense when viewed as a concept album. It's really centered around that youthful high school time, which would, for most, entail simple lyrics with simple melodies. Once I kind of realized that it wasn't just an arbitrary, redundant use of high school experiences and boldly colorful melodies, but started seeing it as being deliberately reflective of a teenager's high school experience, I finally got a sense of the band's growth. Without being aware of that, it will seem like an awful deviation from their former album, "Santi" which was a lot less bright and pop-sounding than "Fast Times", but that sophomore album clearly wasn't going for the vibe of an adolescent's life. I think the band's found a home in the power-pop genre. I'm sure that if this wasn't a concept album, the melodies would be a little more variant among the different tracks and the lyrics would involve issues less simplified and beyond the realm of a high school kid's field of concern All in all, don't be an idiot like me, and be conscious upon your first listen that all the references to high school, 80's pop culture, and all of the other seemingly young or immature aspects of the album, are deliberately based on a predetermined aim and concept that the band probably had to begin with. Because a lot of the time, what appears to be idiotic becomes intelligent when you realize it was on purpose.

A disappointing effort from the academy is... Each time I listen to this album I keep hoping for these songs to grow on me, but they simply don't. Lyrics are vague and uninspiring. The new single is dire. But what hurts the most is that this album seriously lacks the energy, pace and catchiness that we find in 'Santi' and 'Almost Here'.

It is only towards the end of 'Fast Times' that things pick up slightly with songs such as "beware! cougar!" and "Paper Chase" which sound a little more like the academy is as we'd expect, but even then, they still don't quite get the job done. I hate to write a negative review about such a cool band, lets hope the next album picks up where they left of with 'Santi'.

About a Girl 9.5/10 - With a soaring chorus, it can get stuck in your head all day

Summer Hair = Forever Young 8/10 - A more radio friendly tune that's the perfect end-of-summertime anthem

His Girl Friday 10/10 - The best song on the album. It's catchy hooks and sing-along chorus just puts a smile on your face!

The Test 7/10 - My least favorite.

Rumored Nights 9/10 - This songs sounds like if Almost Here and Santi had a baby, and it's an adorable baby

Automatic Eyes 9/10 - There's a nice little guitar solo that I like a lot

Crowded Rooms 8.5/10 - This could have received a 9 but I don't like the very beginning. Other than that, it's a solid song

Coppertone 9.5/10 - The soaring hooks in this song make it a real ear pleaser

After the Last Midtown Show 8.5/10 - The first 1/2 of this song is only so-so but the end really makes up. It also has the best vocals.

Beware! Cougar! 8/10 - Not their best song ever.

Paper Chase 8.5/10 - An upbeat song but it doesn't have that ziiing that others on this album have. It does have a nice little guitar solo, though.

One More Weekend 10/10 - My second favorite song on the album. It's a great song to end the album on. If you listen to this song and then think "this is a bad album", you're not a true TAI fan.

Let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of The Academy Is..., I've seen them live and met them on multiple occasions and for the most part, have loved absolutely everything they've put out. There was a lot of build up from the band before this album's release. It's been over 7 months since this album's release, and I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about it. While parts have grown on me with each listen, others become increasingly irritating. I believe that those who are either new to this band or just casually listen to them will find nothing wrong with this album, while those who follow them more closely might be left frustratingly unsatisfied.

Track by track:

About a Girl - A pretty good song, simple and catchy. Uplifting, but over-listening to this track wouldn't be a good idea.
7/10

Summer Hair= Forever Young - In some ways I prefer this track to the first one. It's still more commercial than most of their stuff, but still a bit clever.
7/10

His Girl Friday- I can't lie, this song is catchy. However, I have to say it's the only song by this band that I even somewhat dislike. It's kind of obnoxious and sugary. I do however, like the riff after the second chorus, especially in an acoustic version I have, which is the main redeeming factor.
5/10

The Test- I do like this song. I especially love the one line "You're a stranger I know well." I absolutely hate how after this they decided to add "and not at all." It's unnecessary and redundant. The first half of the line is a clever paradox, the second half is almost an insult, as if to say "You didn't get the message the first time, so I'll clarify, stupid." Call me crazy, but it's the one thing that keeps me from enjoying this song.
6/10

Rumored Nights- One of my favorite songs on this album, the lyrics really create a vivid scenario for me. This song just all around works.
9/10.

Automatic Eyes- This track has grown on me, I initially wasn't too fond of it, but after hearing it live a few times and paying closer attention to it, I have a soft spot for it. The chorus is a bit he-said-that-she-said-that-you-said, but it's not too bothersome.
7/10.

Crowded Room- I skip the intro to this song every time. Other than that, I love it. It's definitely reminiscent of their previous albums in the best way.
8/10.

Coppertone- One of my absolute favorites off of this album, the lyrics are witty and brilliant. In my opinion, this is where the album begins to pick up where their previous works left off.
10/10

After the Last Midtown Show- The only word I can think of to describe this song is enchanting, as corny as it sounds. There's something about it that gets under my skin every time.
10/10

Beware! Cougar!- This song amuses me. Supposedly autobiographical (I'm not so sure I completely buy that, maybe partially).
8/10.

Paper Chase- A fun song, upbeat and catchy. I like it, although I am curious as to why they chose to name the song "Paper Chase."
9/10.

One More Weekend- Another of my favorites. This song captures the bittersweet emotions associated with leaving home after graduating high school. It's almost haunting and gives me some unfamiliar form of heartache (and I'm only a sophomore, hah). I doubt any other band could have pulled this off, and I think it was the perfect way to close the album.
10/10

iTunes Bonus Tracks:

Every Burden Has a Version - I don't know what it is with TAI and constantly having the most striking and rememorable bonus tracks, but it seems to be their trademark at this point. I absolutely love this track, and it reminds me of Santi. I'm not quite sure what it's about, but that's part of its appeal.
10/10.

Sodium - Yet another astounding song. I can honestly say I never get sick of this one. I can't do it justice in describing it.
10/10.

About a Girl (Acoustic Version) - I like this version better than the original. The weird synth intro is gone and William Beckett sounds more desperate in convincing himself (and whoever is listening) that he's not in love.
9/10.

That sounds very mean I know, but it is the truth. When I first heard the songs "About A Girl" and "Forever Young," I was dissappointed. They really aren't the best lyrics in the world, and the music is a little too pop. And then I read some reviews of the album which didn't exactly praise it.

But I still bought it. First time I listened, I didn't think it was that bad. After a few more listens, I could get into it. My favorite song, so far, is "Beware! Cougar!," mostly because I love hearing William ask the question, "Do you wanna tie me up?" Though some songs make me wonder if William did mess around a lot in high school, because some of the songs repeat that topic.

Out of The Academy Is... three studio albums, this probably is my least fav, but I do like it. (I can get into it way more than I did with Panic At The Disco's "Pretty. Odd." earlier this year. Now that was a major disappointment.) They really did mature on "Santi," and the lyrics seemed better. I'm glad to be out of high school, and why they call those days the best days of their lives in the album is beyond me. (Sure as hell wasn't for me.) I could compare this with the other albums, but it is as different from "Santi" as "Santi" was from "Almost Here." This really seems like it should have been there first album, so then the band would be maturing through the lyrics. But I don't need to keep comparing.

Only two songs really stand our for me lyrics wise, the rest kind of sound the same. But it is still a decent album. I'm actually only giving it 3.5, but feel it can be bumped up a half a star.

This is by far the most engineered sound that TAI has come out with, and quite different from the moodier, more introspective albums preceding, BUT, that having been said, I still love this album. Catchy, upbeat and great showcasing of William Beckett's vocals.

This is such a great cd!! 1 thing i didn't like about it though is that it is in MPEG4 format and windows media player wont read it. Other then that it is amazing i love TAI!