Customer Reviews

What to Do When You Are Dead

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I don't know whats with the one-star-happy people but I was very impressed with this CD. I do not own their first CD (Dream to Believe)yet so I can't compare. Maybe this is a good thing because I can't judge on past performance. These songs contained lots of emotional depth and conveyed their message to the listener with energy and grace coupled with an unpredictable edge. These guys did a kick ass job producing a great album with addicting songs that will keep you pressing the repeat button on more than a few occasions. Five stars is a must.

A friend of mine recently said that Armor for Sleep was a triumph of style over substance. This may be true, but I couldn't care less when it's such good style.

What To Do When You Are Dead begins with a soft little song stating "I swear to God I'm gonna die tonight" (rewind before the first track!) before jumping into "Car Underwater", the first single from the album, which has a simple but effective guitar part and a nice chorus. It is then followed by some of the most consistently good and catchy emo/punk I've heard in a while. Nearly every song is above average.

Track 6 is another soft, vocally driven interlude that leads into "The More You Think the Less I Hear", the most aggressive song with a killer guitar hook, and is followed up by my favorite song on the disc, "Basement Ghost Singing", which has an electronic-led verse that goes into a powerful chorus. The next couple tracks are somewhat weak but are followed by another good one, "The End of a fraud," that reprises a bridge from "Remember to Feel Real", and makes it into an epic chorus, one that suitably ends a very solid album.

It's not the most original thing you'll ever hear, and perhaps it really is nothing more than style posing as substance, but this is still a very nice piece of work by Armor For Sleep. 4.5 stars rounds up to 5.

Concept albums are hard to do. Imagine trying to write 12 songs about a single topic while also keeping them different enough so that they all don't repeat the same message. Armor for Sleep manages to pull off a solid, but not perfect, concept album here. The only flaws I can find on this album are the lack of climax, and the lack of story change. Once the main character dies in the first song the story doesn't progress any; he remains dead. The rest of the album is about him wishing he were alive and expressing his regrets about his life on earth. The songs begin to mesh together. When taken as a whole it's a good insight into the afterlife, however, when broken up into 12 songs it doesn't work as well. One becomes a little bored by the end of the album with the concept. Maybe that's the point. I suppose the afterlife can be quite boring and repetitive. Maybe that's what the band was trying to say.

This album's concept is a double-edged sword: what makes it great also holds it back.

Musically, I believe AFS has matured since "Dream To Make Believe." Lyrically, well... they are still at the top of their game. You will find improved vocals on this cd. His voice really soars on this album.

Key tracks on this album worth a listen to are "Basement Ghost Singing" "Walking At Night, Alone" "A Quick Little Flight" and "Remember To Feel Real" .... I think without "Basement Ghost Singing" and "A Quick Little Flight" I would drop this album to 3 1/2 stars. They're a much needed departure from the rest of the album.

Overall one should buy this album. Concept albums this good come around too rarely.

I really love this CD. The lyrics contain a deep sense of sadness. Even though people say that the lead singer's voice is whiny, I don't really think it is(compare it to Simple Plan's "welcome to my life" song and you start to appreciate this cd a bit more). There's other artists that sound worse than him. I just think Ben is singing with a considerable amount of emotion--which is what some singers lack these days. Honestly, if you were floating around seeing the people you loved and you weren't able to communicate with them(let's also add that you miss them more than you ever have). You would be more than a little sad, right? These songs perfectly convey this sense of longing, sadness, and regret.
I also like how the CD tells a story. It isn't complex and you can tell what is happening without having to think too much. he songs stay with the storyline and don't branch off into a bunch of other confusing subjects. It's just "I committed suicide", "I found out that being dead is a lot more different than I thought", "I wish I was alive", "I miss you", etc. It isn't any more complicated than that. Anything else you get from the songs is pretty much from your mind.
This CD has also done something that I haven't noticed with a lot of other bands. Even though I'm not dead and missing loved ones, when I listen to these songs I feel like I can relate feeling to the dead person in the song. It sounds corny, but it's true. I think it takes a lot of talent to be able to make someone feel like that.
I like that they added some techno sounds in Basement Ghost Singing. Even though you can hear the techno sounds clearly, they don't make the song sound bad.
I feel that Armor for Sleep has improved a bit for the better. It's a really good CD and I reccommend that you buy it unless emo isn't your type of music.

I agree with other reviewers, if you don't like emo, don't even bother. HOWEVER, if you like emo at all, you will love this album. It has very morbid and intricate lyrics, but all done wonderfully. His voice may sound like some others, but there's also something a bit more there...more feeling, more belief in the songs that he is singing, perhaps. Basement Ghost Singing...wow, what a song...just listen to that one song and you'll be hooked. Although the cd seems to take on the theme of death, hence, what to do when you are dead, it's good like that, believe it or not. This is a cd that will really get you thinking, and that's a definate good point for me. Music should always be like this, personal, introspective, truthful, beautiful, and sincere. Praise for Armor for Sleep, thank you for the beauty.

There are a lot of emo and indie bands that are out now playing the same old recycled riffs and garbage. But Armor For Sleep pulls something different out of the works with this release. Compared to most albums of this genre the guitar work is actually a step above most. The riffs really aren't repetitive. Also I enjoyed the concept of the album. A man commits suicide during the first song of the album and then when he gets to heaven he realizes it wasn't all he thought it would be. He comes back down to Earth to watch an old love and try and come back into the world. But in the end he realizes he must go. It sounds trite written out like this, but really it is quite beautifully done. The songs on here are rather catchy also and you will find yourself singing along with many of the verses on this album. Some of the stand out tracks are "Stay on the Ground" (one of the more intense songs on the album) and "Awkward Last Words". I suggest that if you enjoysemotionally driven music pick up this album as soon as possible. You won't be disappointed.

This album is in my opinion a great follow up album. Dreaming to Make Believe was an awesome album without a doubt. When i buy follow up albums, I try and throw all previous inhibitions i have away, and just look at the album individually as if I'm just first hearing the band. This way you avoid the whole "selling out" stereotyping thing which i hate seeing. Anyway, enough of me rambling. This album is definitely a little harder than their previous but its not overwhelming. They put a nice balance of melody and just good ol rock. I kinda dig the whole concept thing. They definitely set a mood throughout the whole album. Kind of a dark, romantic theme going on. And also they throw in some nice techno beats and effects which is definitely a nice touch. The last 3 or 4 songs kinda drag on in the end but definitely fit their style. So in the end, im liking it.