Consider this a disclaimer: If you don't like emo-or, at the very least, pop rock-you will probably not like Santi, the sophomore release from The Academy Is.... But if you do, Santi has a lot to offer, though it does take a little bit of digging.
The problem isn't the songs themselves, but the ordering of the songs. The opener, "Same Blood," is a flat-out dud, and the following "LAX to O'Hare" doesn't get good until the chorus, about 40 seconds in. It's only during the third song, the aptly chosen single "We've Got a Big Mess On Our Hands," that you're really hooked. The song is a great track, replacing their usual pop-rock gloss with some stadium-worthy guitar crunch and sing-along choruses. But its impact is weakened because it follows two songs that are mediocre at best.
Thankfully, though, the rest of the album keeps the whining flatliners at bay with a succession of catchy songs with a twist, be it the glam-rock touches on "Bulls in Brooklyn," or the combination of grit and reverb on "Sleeping With Giants (Lifetime)." (Thanks to the help of Butch Walker, who has produced emo staples such as All-American Rejects and Fall Out Boy.)
It's a shame that Santi is such a diamond-in-the-rough release-there are some really great songs, but they're hidden in the album. A more cohesive structure could have really pushed this release above the pack.
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