these kids today

so yesterday I'm all up in the mall, providence place style, rumbling around on my way to the bookstore. I venture past the old mall staple hot topic. we've all been in there, for whatever reason. maybe they were the only place in your area selling converge shirts at the time (true story) or maybe you just enjoy getting your retna's seared with the dayglo graffitti-like animal printed band shirts that seem to be all the rage these days. or maybe you simply needed to refresh your stock of nightmare before christmas wristbands/mints/dolls/pillows/slippers, whatevs. 

anywho, in the doorway, or rather the dungeonesque entryway that hot topic has, there was a chalkboard explaining that hot band The Academy Is.....would be doing an in-store appearance later in the month, and if you bought a shirt or cd you could get a sticker guaranteeing you could meet the band.

I had heard of these guys here and there, as I used to read AP at the bookstore I worked at, as well as that's the type of stuff my 18 year old sister gets her lip-ring in a tizzy for. I thought nothing more of the hullabaloo until I sat down to read the newest rolling stone at mark d's apartment, as he fiddled online with stuff about the new animal collective cd (which I'm about to get burnt out on before I even get the chance to enjoy. I am prepared for many of the music outlets I read to release a verbal ass-licking praise tornado upon this mastery of audio science, but the damn thing hasn't even been released yet, vinyl today I know.)

Rolling Stone, in their year-end best 50 albums of the year, put The Academy Is "Fast Times at Barrington High' at number 46.  where have I been? well, in a place in which rolling stone has hardly any critical hold for me anymore, but still. they do cover and admire many of my own personal favorites, so perhaps this was something to look into. RS refers to the album as a 'soaring pop-punk tribute to senior year'. I love pop-punk, and senior year was a delicious combination of straight A's, constant hanging out with friends and the best sex yet.  however, this album sucks. I went online and listened to it this morning . RS also put a song from in on their best songs of the year. I honestly don't get RS. I was hoping to get my snooty music snob ass handed to me by suprisingly enjoying a stylized emo-pop band that looks like the jonas brothers if they started drinking. but no, epic fail ensued.  RS put Blitzen Trapper's 'Furr' as the 3rd best song of the year, which is also a surprise. however that song rules, and even people who don't get soaking wet over every subpop release think so. I guess I underestimated Rolling Stone's radar, in both directions.

enjoy the douchbaggerie.