The Academy Is. . .

The soft-rock ethos behind the soundtrack to P.S. I Love You is so absolute that even bands with punk inclinations (old ones, like the Pogues; new ones, like The Academy Is...) break out the acoustic guitars to dish out warm fuzzies. This is where the kin of James Blunt and Paolo Nutini are right at home, although there are some welcome surprises from singers who are slightly outside the margins, like Chuck Prophet and John Powell. The latter ends the set with a tune called "Kisses and Cake," which manages to be every bit as sugary as the title suggests.