Music reviews of music you'll actually listen to

Music such as:

Phantom Planet, The Academy Is, HelloGoodbye, Panic at the Disco, The Early November, Fall Out Boy, and many many more.

The Academy Is finally released a new album. It's been a long wait since "Almost Here". Ok so there was "Santi" but we all know that it was a bit of a flop and not very good. But that leaves us wondering....Should we buy this album?

I'm not going to say this album is all that and a bag of chips, but it isn't NEARLY as bad as "Santi".

The first song "About a girl" shows the classic rock influences that helped form TAI. It feels kind of like a return to "Almost Here", but so are "The Test" "Automatic Eyes" and "Coppertone". That is not to say that the other songs do not sound like TAI, but these few have more of an influence from "Almost Here".

Although some of the songs return to "Almost Here" there are some definite songs that return to the easily forgetable "Santi"

"His girl Friday" is a poppy-toe-tapping-hair-blowing song. It's a good song to blast when you've got the windows rolled down. It's easy to sing along to and it's got a lot of repeats, but it's not boring. The message is a little creepy, at least to me, but it's still a well written song.

If you're looking for something to listen to as you're driving through the canyons at night "Rumored Nights" and "After the last Midtown Show" are definitly what you're looking for. They slow down the album just enough and are actually well written. Plus the have the "Almost Here" wavering voice behind them.

"Crowded Room" and "Beware! Cougar!" are easily forgetable and don't really catch the attention of the ears. In my personal opinion they're just filler songs. But if you stick it out to "Paper Chase" you get what you deserve. This song is, in my opinion, the best song on the cd. It's a speeding-down-the-freeway-with-your-best-friend song. It's got nice hooks and a nice long sing along chorus.

"One more Weekend" is the typical ending song. It's forlorn and begging for one more day. It's well written and it's got nice instrumentation and it kind of reminds me of "The Phrase that Pays". It's a song that if you like it you'll repeat it over and over just because you love the way Beckett's voice grates against itself.

Overall "Fast Times" has the hooks and the polished songs that "Santi" failed to deliver. Though there are a few filler, thrown-together-at-the-last-second songs, ultimatly this is a good cd. I'd buy, or at least burn it from a friend.

Hope you like it and stay tuned for more reviews of cds you can actually find in a store.