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Armor
For Sleep
What to Do When You Are Dead
(Equal
Vision)
Lately, the countless number of CDs that are delivered day after
day to my door end up piling up sky high next to my desk. Some
of the lucky ones are best served as a welcoming mat for my
morning and nightly cups of coffee. You really need something
to keep you up when the music brings you down. About a month
ago, the “buzz” surrounding Armor For Sleep’s
sophomore album, What to Do When You Are Dead, started
ringing out. It’s the make it or break it album and I
love to listen for the progression, or mostly lack thereof.
I was initially impressed by Armor For Sleep’s debut album,
Dream to Make Believe, it was an album that showed
promise. They’ve changed the way someone can look at a
band’s second full-length release with What to Do
When You Are Dead. This album, which borders near conceptual
is written from the perception or point of view of someone who
has traversed over into the afterlife. It’s a journey
and passage of life and death. Something we all must face, but
find it hard to talk about and realize.
The music is reminiscent of a dark, cinematic feature and the
album is in fact admirably structured that way. The full experience
of listening to this album is closely related to that of watching
a film with all its peaks and valleys throughout. The album
begins with an actual death, an entering to heaven and being
alone before returning home and finally taking your steps as
a ghost. Don’t let the conceptual idea of the album fool
you though. While the full experience of the album is best suited
to listen to in sequence, each song can surprisingly stand alone.
That is how well executed these songs are. Now the concept is
definitely intriguing but it wouldn’t be able to stand
up without the music and Armor For Sleep do not disappoint.
They have implemented the same amount of thought and expression
into the music as they did with the concept. The music on this
album is a clear progression from their debut album. I can best
describe it and relate it to as the way label mates; The Snake
The Cross The Crown progressed from their first EP to their
LP.
What to Do When You Are Dead sees a change in the vocals
as the range is much more vast and extensive. The guitars also
provide their own range as they are featured much more enthusiastically
with shuffling between high points and low points that help
budge the delicate structure of the album along. Another aspect
that is truly neat to follow is how the lyrics flow so well
with the music. You get the sense that there was so much time
put into matching the lyrics with the guitar and bass lines
because it all fits so well. As much as they have progressed
on this release, they still manage to keep things somewhat catchy
and I think that’s the trick. Often times, concept albums
can offer too much experimental material that one tends to lose
focus. Rather than deem this album experimental, the right thing
to do would be to classify it as the result of what happens
when a band pours thought, vitality and the will to do things
differently into a release, and then to have execution meet
expectations.
Reviewed by
David Walter
February 18th, 2005 |
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