Academy

Practitioners of the same brand of epic emo rock as bands like Brand New and Thursday, this youthful Chicago quintet is far from the derivative pap of those two bands. While obviously heavily influenced by the arty prog-leaning likes of Further Seems Forever, The Academy’s self-titled debut bristles and pops with a sincere energy and reverence for the music they’re playing as opposed to being one of the many (many, many) bands that simply exploit the emotional melodic punk sound-pioneered by bands like Farside and Sense Field — without the heart or chops to back it up. A full-length is scheduled for later this year and that may be the real test of this band’s staying power