#20: Armor for Sleep - What to do When You Are Dead
As we crack the top 20, I have to go back to a very musical time period: high school. This was a time when money was scarce and buying cds weren't at the top of my list so I had to have friends burn me copies of cds they liked. An ex-girlfriend of mine used to burn me a lot of stuff she liked and slide them to me and there were two I liked so much that I asked for actual copies of them when she asked what I wanted for my birthday. I got this one and next week's submission.
I like this cd a lot, but listening to it in later years I realize how "emo" it really was. Lines like:
"In a car underwater with time to kill
Thinking back I forgot to tell you this
I didn’t care that you left and abandoned me
What hurts more is I would still die for you"
Thinking back I forgot to tell you this
I didn’t care that you left and abandoned me
What hurts more is I would still die for you"
play off the emotion of heartbreak - a theme throughout the entire cd.
But what got me was something I didn't realize till a friend of mine mentioned years into listening. The entire cd tells a story. According to wikipedia:
"The album begins with a hidden track in the pregap, a monologue spoken by the album's protagonist discussing his thoughts and feelings before he commits suicide. The track fades into the first track, "Car Underwater", describing how the he plunges his car into an unnamed body of water, as a result of a straining relationship with his significant other (their status was not discussed at any point). The remaining tracks feature moments of personal introspection at the positive and negative aspects of his life, while he quietly stalks around important locations of his past life (such as his girlfriend's home) without disturbing anyone. Analyzing the lyrics of each track, you can see him progress through the Kübler-Ross 5-stage model of grief management as he initially denies his situation, then wishes for a reversal, and finally, accepting his fate. The album ends with the character finally coming to grips with his decision, and his spirit continues on, having completed his business in this life."
That's a lot to digest, but it says it better than I ever could. It exposed me to great song writing. And for the sake of length, I will cut this post short and in tribute to experiencing the album from beginning to end, I will ask you to find it for yourself (or ask me to send it to you) and not post any individual songs.
HOWEVER
their follow-up, "Smile for Them" is not so much of a concept album and deserves to be mentioned. It has a lot of songs that I used to get out so much frustration over a relationship and songs to just rock out to. Plus, they took the social stance and said things that made me go "hmm."
So enjoy a couple tracks from that release below. Especially because, sadly, the band is no more :(
Love it. Love that they are not just random sing-songy words tossed together. Love that they have something to say with some thought behind it.
ReplyDeleteO armor for sleep! i tried 2 learn smile for them on guitar yrs ago,(that intro killed me). saw the band @ warped & no1 knew who they were (doofuses). also saw them @ small venue n teeny tiny town n spanish or american fork n ut or wherever it was. their drummer was upset that the turn out was so low & they were not allowed 2 swear (ya the venue was dumb). but kids @ high school knew who the band was when i wore my t shirt there.
ReplyDeleteOk, so I've never heard of this BUT by the cover art alone...I would dig it. Because I can be superficial like that. :) So I'm hoping that my only BB is going to hook his #1groupie up. ;)Right??
ReplyDeletePlus, the two songs posted on here really remind me of my second semester of college. I don't know why- but they have the same feel as that time in my life did.
I remember hearing that the album was a story back in the day, but I never really focused on that though. Hold the Door will always be one of my favorite songs and I wish they were still together.
ReplyDeleteI think they totally got owned though, as far as telling a story, by one of my favorite bands Coheed and Cambria here's a bit from their Wikipedia "Coheed and Cambria's albums are concept albums that reveal a science fiction storyline called The Amory Wars, a series of story mediums written by lead singer Claudio Sanchez. The band has released five studio albums, two live albums, and several special-edition releases. In 2008, the band held a four-day concert series, Neverender, during which they played their first four studio albums in succession. Their fifth studio album, Year of the Black Rainbow, which is a prequel to the series, was released on April 13, 2010."
When I was in high school that was just the coolest thing to me haha. Also we met Claudio and he's like the nicest guy of all time.
I remember being obsessed with this album when I was in high school. I think what made it work, besides the overall concept, was that for the genre, it was incredible grandiose. It had flourishes of prog rock while maintaining an immediate and hooky edge. This one definitely takes me back.
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