The Academy Is...: William Beckett (vocals); Michael Carden, Thomas Conrad (guitar); Adam Siska (bass instrument); Andy Mrotek (drums).
Recording information: The Dungeon, Miami, Florida.
On its 2005 debut, the Chicago-based emo-rock ensemble known as The Academy Is... unleashes surging punk-pop anthems (most notably "Attention" and "Checkmarks") that rely on melody more than angsty bombast. With fierce guitar lines, precise rhythms, and frontman William Beckett's plaintive (but not overwrought) vocals, this group makes the kind of music that gives the sometimes-maligned emo subgenre a good name.