mitchables
12-17-2007, 03:10 AM
Back in 2003, when Armor For Sleep released Dream To Make Believe, I jumped straight behind them and proclaimed loudly from the rooftops, "this band is amazing". The softly sad and melodic voice of Ben Jorgensen, his heartfelt and somewhat subtle lyrics, the intricate "fiddly" verse guitars balanced out with anthemic choruses - this was a band that spoke to me. Their second effort, What To Do When You're Dead, was an ambitious concept album dealing with the protagonist's suicide and consequent journey through the afterlife as he firstly struggles to come to terms with his impulse to plunge his car headfirst into an ocean until he finally accepts what's happened and moves on. Sure, it wasn't as strong an album as Dream to Make Believe, but then, that shit was ridiculously good. Bonkers, if you will.
But now, I've gotta tell you, after one listen of Armor For Sleep's new(ish) CD, Smile For Them, I'm feeling a little bit like the nameless protagonist from What to Do. I plunged headfirst into this CD, safe in the knowledge that it was a good idea. Maybe. Probably.And then, like that, I wasn't so sure about what I'd done. I don't know what it is. Somewhere in the last four years, out went the intricate verse guitars, only to be largely replaced by poppy power chords with the occasional echoed-out lead line overlaid for that extra power pop goodness. The lyrics are still pretty good, but in terms of scope and general idea, I feel like they're being written by exactly the same guy who first spoke to me two albums ago, rather than his 2007 counterpart. It seems kind of obvious put like this, but really, if you're not going to grow with your listeners, then they're just going to outgrow you.
This CD might be doubly depressing for me because it exactly mirrors the change in Thursday's music between Full Collapse and A City By The Light Divided. Oh, and Sparta, between Wiretap Scars and Threes. It's like all of these bands gradually got lazier. Well, except in Thursday's case, where War All The Time was like a movement from strength to strength before they slapped out the 46-minute clusterfuck that became A City By The Light... but I digress.
So here I am, in my proverbial sinking car, thinking about my decision to buy the album. Don't get me wrong. Smile For Them is not an awful CD by any means. It has some really strong points, and if you're in the mood for something that doesn't require too much attention to listen to and still get the gist of, then this CD is probably adequate. It's a pretty cruisy, driven pop-rock album, at the base of it. It is still far more listenable than most of the hogwash that gets mega-airtime, but it feels like a bit of a disappointment in the grand scheme of things. I don't regret the decision, but it wasn't what I thought I was going to get.
6/10
Anybody else given this a spin? Thoughts?
But now, I've gotta tell you, after one listen of Armor For Sleep's new(ish) CD, Smile For Them, I'm feeling a little bit like the nameless protagonist from What to Do. I plunged headfirst into this CD, safe in the knowledge that it was a good idea. Maybe. Probably.And then, like that, I wasn't so sure about what I'd done. I don't know what it is. Somewhere in the last four years, out went the intricate verse guitars, only to be largely replaced by poppy power chords with the occasional echoed-out lead line overlaid for that extra power pop goodness. The lyrics are still pretty good, but in terms of scope and general idea, I feel like they're being written by exactly the same guy who first spoke to me two albums ago, rather than his 2007 counterpart. It seems kind of obvious put like this, but really, if you're not going to grow with your listeners, then they're just going to outgrow you.
This CD might be doubly depressing for me because it exactly mirrors the change in Thursday's music between Full Collapse and A City By The Light Divided. Oh, and Sparta, between Wiretap Scars and Threes. It's like all of these bands gradually got lazier. Well, except in Thursday's case, where War All The Time was like a movement from strength to strength before they slapped out the 46-minute clusterfuck that became A City By The Light... but I digress.
So here I am, in my proverbial sinking car, thinking about my decision to buy the album. Don't get me wrong. Smile For Them is not an awful CD by any means. It has some really strong points, and if you're in the mood for something that doesn't require too much attention to listen to and still get the gist of, then this CD is probably adequate. It's a pretty cruisy, driven pop-rock album, at the base of it. It is still far more listenable than most of the hogwash that gets mega-airtime, but it feels like a bit of a disappointment in the grand scheme of things. I don't regret the decision, but it wasn't what I thought I was going to get.
6/10
Anybody else given this a spin? Thoughts?