The Agency is, in a sense, two different bands. There’s the one fronted by Mike Marsh that is a gritty, alt-rock band and there’s the one fronted by Chris Drueke that is a pop-rock band. The difference between songs fronted by one or the other of those two is actually quite significant and results in a total package that has quite a lot more to offer than most bands who put out an album of ten songs that all sound relatively the same.

Marsh is the drummer for Dashboard Confessional and he takes center stage (about half the time) on the Agency’s third album, “Turn.” Marsh has that gravely voice reminiscent of classic rock front men like Buckcherry’s Josh Todd but his music isn’t so blatant in those roots and leans toward more modern sensibilities. The Drueke-led tracks are by far the strongest with much more focused writing and all the hooks. “I’m Innocent!” would be right at home on a Third Eye Blind album and, in fact, the high range of Drueke’s voice is a dead ringer for Stephan Jenkins. The soaring chorus of “Found” and the march of “Mary Mourn” are splendid examples of pop writing at its best.

Both faces of the Agency are so good that they could easily split and go on to form two very good bands. As a whole, they’re even better. While the entire band gets writing credits on each song, I’m guessing that Marsh and Drueke focused their energies on their own songs and that results in five great songs a piece rather than ten average ones together. The Agency’s makeup is not typical and it doesn’t always work, but in this case, it’s a 2-for-1 deal that you should jump on right away.

Reviewed by: David Bake 1340mag.com