The Academy Is… - Santi

Band: The Academy Is…
Album: Santi
Release Date: April 3, 2007
Label: Fueled By Ramen/Atlantic

When I first began Audiosyncratic I wasn’t sure how I was going to work the reviews. It basically came down to me wondering if I would base my reviews strictly on opinion or if I would take each release for what it was and analyze it fairly. I’ve got to say that I feel like thus far I’ve done a pretty commendable job of sticking to the latter. With every CD I’ve reviewed I did my best to compare it to its predecessors and evaluate it for evidence of growth of the band. So, I’d say that I’ve been overall, quite fair to each album that I’ve reviewed, and I hope you agree.

On that note, I’d like to say, in comparing Santi to their previous full length, Almost Here, I just simply cannot find much good to say about it. I wouldn’t go as far to say that I was ever a huge fan of theirs, but Almost Here certainly earned a considerable number of plays, in fact, sadly, because of it The Academy Is… is ranked 19 on my top artists of all time on Last.fm. They have quite a bit going for them. They first got picked up by Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) in Chicago and were signed to Fueled By Ramen, with the likes of Panic! At the Disco and the aforementioned Fall Out Boy. As it seems, FBR is the perfect breeding grounds for pop-punk bands to launch into stardom. I wholly anticipated that they would steadily gain fame (as they have been touring with Almost Here under their belts). Now, however, I just can’t see it happening, although maybe the changes found here (that I find disappointing) will be just what they needed to make it big, and signing with Atlantic seems like that might be the case.

Upon the releases opening with “Same Blood,” I was initially impressed. It starts with a harder introduction and fades into a calmer body. The song features William Beckett’s vocals as usual, but this time around they seems much more refined, sweeter and softer, and more melodic. The second track “LAX To O’Hare” is when it took its first turn for the worse in my opinion. The music at times seemed busier than their older stuff, which wouldn’t be bad if it didn’t seem too chaotic, and almost messy. The guitar seems recycled for the previous songs and at times the vocal style, simply reeks of Panic!.

“We’ve Got A Big Mess On Our Hands” was the first song to surface, a few months ago, and it’s apparent why. It is immediately more accessible than the previous two tracks. It is more like their older material, in that it is catchy and singable. In this vein also comes “Neighbors,” which might be my favorite track on the album. It is certainly the catchiest on the album and bleeds rock anthem. It’s got personality and fortunately this keeps its repetitive nature from dragging it down.

“Sleeping With Giants (Lifetime)” was the first time I could put my finger on just what it was that I don’t like about Santi. It seems to me that it is over produced; I would assume this is most strictly the fault of producer Butch Walker. Someone should have told him to lay off, but I suppose if you’re trying to formulate the next pop album of the year, you’ve got to listen to him. It comes, then, as no surprise to me that he has produced artists like Pink, Lindsay Lohan, and Avril Lagivne. “Bulls In Brooklyn” also stinks of his talents medaling. It’s got a manufactured sound, and by that I don’t mean synthesized, I mean that it comes from a formula. I’d say that this formula is probably borrowed partially from the likes of Fall Out Boy, which is also not a surprise.

While The Academy Is… haven't lost everything they had going for them, just the essential substance that defined them is almost gone. It’s hard to say if it’s their fault or that of their label, which is clearly in the moneymaking business. It is unfortunate to see a band, which not only had potential to go places, but also a distinctive brand, be snatched up by a major label and forced into a pop would-be sensation cookie cutter. To go off slightly on a tangent, it was Atlantic that signed The Format and attempted to force them into the same situation. Thankfully they gladly left and in turn made a song about it. Just listen to “The Compromise” on their latest, Dog Problems (my favorite album of 2006), and you’ll get a pretty good picture of what seems to have happened to The Academy Is…. Fortunately for them, not all is lost, they’re well on their way to pop-stardom, they’ve just been processed by the machine that is the recording industry.

Sherwood - A Different Light

Band: Sherwood
Album: A Different Light
Release Date: 3/12/07
Label: Myspace Records

Sherwood’s latest offering, A Different Light, their first on Myspace Records, is like their past efforts, catchy and fun. However, their sound has not matured, they’ve only opted for a more electronic sound, adding a keyboardist. It is nice to see, however, that they continue to put out music that is uplifting and enjoyable. Even when they lament about relationship troubles (and other typical pop-punk topics) they keep things happy and airy.

The CD starts off with “Song In My Head.” It begins slowly, but soon kicks off into an energized pop-punk ballad. This sets the stage for virtually the entire CD, only once does the pace slowdown. The next song, “The Best In Me” is electric infused power pop, chockfull of lovable hooks and rhymes. These songs, like the rest of the album, opt for extended fades and reverb. This is one of the few changes from their previous sound. In a way I might even say that Lou Giordano (the producer who has also worked with Sunny Day Real Estate) has almost over produced the album. It doesn’t stand solely on the musicianship of the band, but partially on a foundation of synthesizers.

The third track, “Middle of the Night” is a rerecord, originally found on the Summer EP, which was released digitally, at AP.net. This song has remained the same, except for the addition of about 10 seconds of crowd noise-like fluff tacked on in the beginning. This lack of change, however, is not a bad thing. The song is as it should be, energetic, and is certainly single material.

As the CD continues, there isn’t much change musically, at all. Almost all of the songs rely on the driving beat of drummer Joe Greenetz. His steady pace sets the stage for almost all of the songs. Just about the only slowdown on the disc some from the sixth song, “Ally Cat,” which to me sounds a lot like “Such Great Heights,” from The Postal Service, at times. It is, however, one of the more memorable and clever songs offered here.

The CD is certainly very enjoyable, but lacks any progression or change. All of the songs seem very similar to each other, and there is hardly any development. After only the first few tracks, I found it became hard to find new ways to describe songs. There is nothing wrong, with this consistent (if not monotonous) approach to creating music, but it just seems to lose its power. Like their previous works, A Different Light seems like it is best suited for summer listening. I anticipate that I’ll be listening to this album again, perhaps on a beach trip, flying down the highway with the windows down. Its energetic, vivacious sound of this release makes it perfect for listening to during the equally pleasant summer months.

The Higher - On Fire

Band: The Higher
Album: On Fire
Release Date: March 6, 2007
Label: Epitaph

The Higher’s debut on Epitaph, “On Fire,” isn’t exactly what I would call a stellar performance. While catchy hooks abound, the sound of the album is not quite as cohesive as I would have expected. While I largely enjoyed their debut full-length, “Histrionics,” I just can’t say the same in this case.

The opening track, “Insurance” is exactly what I expected Fall Out Boy’s latest, “Infinity on High” to be. If "This Ain't A Scene, It’s an Arms Race" sounded like it might be at home among the likings of the Backstreet Boys, “Insurance” is definitely B-side material for NSYNC’s “Celebrity,” which featured one of their later hits, “Dirty Pop.”

“On Fire” partially marks a departure from the generic emo-rock of “Histrionics” to a electronic, pop-driven sound. “Guts” fits the barebones, music by numbers, style of verse-chorus-verse. “Rock My Body” is the first of three re-recorded songs from “Histrionics.” It remains virtually the same, with some introduction of dance beats. “Weapons Wired” is one of the stronger showings on this album. Again, like “Insurance” it offers up a poppy sound, but it’s done well. The song packs a little bit of a punch; with the focus more set on the guitar rather than synthesized beats. However, the new dance sound, isn’t maintained for the entirety of the release, which is one of the major disappointments.

The fifth track, “Histrionics” is the second re-record from their debut. It was by and far my favorite song from their 2005 work. It was short and catchy and has a heartfelt quality to it. Unfortunately, this re-record doesn't provide much worthwhile innovation; again it's more of an electronic remix. The song doesn't lose all of it's worth in my eyes, but it doesn't seem to have the same flow. One of it’s best aspects, for me, is the handclap, I don’t know how many times I’ll end up declaring my love for this quaint little addition, but I’m quite sure it’s one of my favorites.

“Movement” reminds me immediately of the 1999 hit “Slide” from The Goo Goo Dolls. However, once the song gets past this reminiscent introduction, it reveals that it has none of the lasting power of that hit. This track marks a point in this release, that starts to lose my interest and starts to betray the initial feeling of the album. Slowly the songs slow down and lose their dancability (I know that’s not a word, but you know what I mean by it). “On Fire” started out with a strong upbeat pop essence, but slowly this fades away and all that is left is run of the mill instrumentation and Seth Trotter’s flat vocals. “Can Anyone Really Love Young,” “Darkpop,” “DARE,” and “Our Movie Rules” all seem to fit in this category, in my eyes. “Darkpop” manages to keep up the beat a bit, but overall the song is forgettable.

Thankfully, “31 Floors” is full of repeatable and catchy hooks. I’d say its one of the last gems of the disc (maybe ‘gem’ is too much, cubic zirconium might be more fitting). Either way, it’s got a decent amount going for it, and provides some incentive to make it to the end of the CD. Finally, after “Our Movie Rules” comes the Patrick Stump remix of “Pace Yourself.” This is track closes the disc, and is the final adaptation from “Histrionics.” It is, however, slightly ironic, seeing as the main lyric says that, “you can’t write the same song over again,” even though The Higher, or perhaps the folks over at Epitaph, saw it fit to re-record three old tracks.

After just less than one minute of silence, at the end of “Pace Yourself,” comes the hidden track of the album. I think I’ve mentioned before, that I am really not much of a fan of this practice. I just don’t care that much about part of a song, that a band decided didn’t warrant it’s own track. Plus, when I’m listening to music while doing something else; it’s just annoying when there’s undue silence. Anyways, the hidden track is no more interesting than any other track on the CD and it’s absolutely drenched with obvious and partially obnoxious sexual references, not exactly a lyrical jewel.

Overall, this isn’t much of a follow up to the enjoyable “Histrionics.” As the CD began I was actually kind of excited to see where they would go with their new dance-pop sound. Unfortunately, by about halfway through the disc it became apparent that it wasn’t a full shift and they were stuck right back in the rut of their generic, almost sub-par, sound. I would say that this CD isn’t for either, fans of The [old] Higher, or for those in love with the dance sounds of bands like Head Automatica or Panic! At the Disco, it does, however, a few songs worthy of your time.