What to Do When You Are Dead [Limited Edition]

Armor for Sleep | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 22, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Equal Vision Records
• ASIN: B0007GP67E
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,301 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #97 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Dream Pop

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Band Stands Alone, July 7, 2005

By 

Rowdy Ruby "rubikins" (pittsburgh, pa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What to Do When You Are Dead (Audio CD)

Everyone is so quick to judge a band based on its genre. Call it emo, call it rock, call it pop punk - one thing will remain the same: this band knows how to write compelling and engaging music.

I'm an adult who likes a wide array of music, from the Cure to Bright Eyes to Xiu Xiu to the Used. In the case of these bands, there's been much more drawing me to them than just the music - it's all about the lyrics. And Armor For Sleep have used their ability to write thoughtful, intelligent, heart felt lyrics and taken that to a higher level by incorporating the concept of death into their latest album. While each song can hold up on its own, it's best experienced straight through, beginning to end. Armor For Sleep says things that I could never find the words to say; this album touches on friendship, love, regret and so much more. It's real and relatable.

Listen to the words, people. Stop griping about Ben Jorgenson's "whiney" voice for a few minutes and listen to what he's saying. Let the story unfold and immerse yourself. If it doesn't seize your heart like it did mine, check for a pulse.

This is a band writing genuine songs that are accessible as well as downright smart. Make it one of your favorites.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written concept album, impossible to resist, July 25, 2005

By 

M. Grebing (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What to Do When You Are Dead (Audio CD)

Armor For Sleep has done it again. Their debut was a solid collection of catchy, sing-along, rock-a-liscious songs. Their 2nd album is the most pure, cohesive concept album since Operation Mindcrime. Each song blends perfectly into the next and they slow down at just the right moments. They manage to keep everything interesting despite a couple of down-tempo songs. The entire album is somewhat like a dream, which is obviously what they intended. "...Dead" is a perfect metaphor for being lost or broken hearted. Note: this album contains no - I repeat NO - inappropriate, idiot echo-screamer in the background. Thank the gods.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Everything I Ever Wanted to Know About Dying, February 7, 2006

By 

K. Franklin "aeternal" (Yonkers, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What to Do When You Are Dead (Audio CD)

Here's the question. Is having a central theme throughout an album necessarily a good thing? My initial response would be yes. But in the case of Armor for Sleep's What To Do When You Are Dead, the songs are perhaps too similarly linked and have a hard time manifesting in and of themselves; most songs don't stand out as anything particularly special. A theme of being dead and looking into the reality that you once belonged to makes for good songs, but it's a theme that exists too overtly from track to track. They could have looked at the idea from several different angles, but the whole album pretty much says: I'm floating around out here and I'm trying to reconnect with a loved one. And that's all. So the initial concept is good, but the approach doesn't stick.

Also, in many songs, we have the case where the vocals and the lyrics carry more passion than the instruments--this seems to be a common pattern of modern rock releases of the decade. We don't experience a catharsis from the guitars and drums, and it leaves a feeling of the music being curtailed of its potential. And too often, there is little to no vocal variety, and we don't get enough mood transitions. There's that whiny, soul-searching feel and the mood just stays on that level. The only exceptions are "A Quick Little Flight" and "The End of a Fraud."

Now onto the better features--what made me want to buy the album in the first place. Wait...these are the same things I just addressed: the melancholy presence combined with the theme. So what I'm getting at is that on songs that I initially heard by Armor for Sleep ("The Truth About Heaven" and "Walking at Night, Alone") drew me in, but the album as a whole didn't carry the same magical presence. The singles are really what make the album. Oh yeah, and a haunting little "manual" titled "What to Do When You are Dead" accompanies the CD. I love this.