2008 Woodie Awards
Armor for Sleep - 'Smile for Them' reviewed
by Adam Asher
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Mosaic
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"Smile for Them"
Rating: 3 Stars (out of 5)
After the success of 2005's "What To Do When You Are Dead," emo-rockers Armor for Sleep received critical acclaim and a leg up above many bands in the "scene," scoring a major label contract with Sire Records. The band's third album combines a relatively familiar downtrodden rock sound with haunting echoes and heavy guitars, allowing the band to put its own spin on a generally static-sounding genre.
The first song on "Smile for Them" may as well be an introduction to the band. Simple guitars, emotional vocals, catchy hooks and a few dark effects bring it all together to capture the Armor for Sleep sound, giving the listener a preview of the rest of the album, which is chock-full of complex constructions and wailing vocals.
Although Armor samples a number of sounds, the energy put forth in songs like "Williamsburg" and "End of the World" is the strength that helps the listener glide past a slew of sloppy lyrics. Singer Ben Jorgensen seems to spend much of his time thinking up questions and neglecting to answer them, or painting depressing pictures of the world and alluding to poor ways to deal with his problems.
"I wanna stay at home for the end of the world / Falling asleep when they're dropping the bomb / This is all a dream / That's what I'll be singing," Jorgensen sings on "End of the World." Although lyrics such as these plague the entire album, his emotion-filled voice is genuine, accentuating the music rather than the lyrics themselves.
As a whole, the catchy, albeit simple, guitar hooks on "Smile for Them" make it easy to listen to, despite the depressing lyrics. Songs like "Lullabye" and "Hold the Door" are slow, standard and uncomfortable diversions from the fast-paced emo sound of the rest of the album. However, the latter are forgivable in light of the stronger songs peppered into the record.
Not every song on "Smile for Them" is a hit, but the majority make the album a satisfying installment in the career of a band that is on the upswing.
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