Dream to Make Believe

This 11-song album from Armor For Sleep showcases another band partaking in the propagation of the emo movement. And like many of the acts involved with this genre, slight variations have been made to the sound so as to distinguish them from the rest of the pack, but overall things aren't dramatically different. That's not to say that what's here isn't good. This four-piece has a darker style while still keeping a pop structure on much of their material. They do a capable job of combining Hum-like dark space rock with The Get Up Kids-flavored emo-pop. The vocals are reminiscent of John Ralston from Legends of Rodeo, with a plain-spoken, honest delivery, and the lyrics tend to dwell on subjects like time-travel, dreams, and space, which make for an interesting, open-ended take on interpretation. The utilization of hooks and some good lyrics are key and come in at the right places, making Dream To Make Believe a pleasant and refreshing take on a somewhat clogged genre. ~ Kurt Morris Recorded at El Barrio, Van Nuys, California in August 2002. Personnel: Ben Jorgensen (vocals, guitar); P.J. DeCicco (guitar); Ariel Rechtshaid (synthesizer); Nash Breen (drums). Audio Mixers: Chris Fudurich; Ariel Rechtshaid. Recording information: El Barrio, Van Nuys, CA (08/2002); Standard Electrical Recorders, Venice Beach, CA (08/2002). Photographer: Chris Strong. Armor For Sleep: Anthony Dilonno (vocals, guitar); Ben Jorgensen (guitar); Nash Breen (bass); P.J. DeCicco (drums). Alternative Press (8/03, p.90) - 3 out of 5 - "...Consistently a few flights higher on the cerebral staircase than most of his brethren, Jorgensen makes DREAM a meaningful contribution to an already overcrowded genre..."

When I first heard AFS I was a tad sceptical... I'd only heard them from a few mp3s id scoured from the internet of poor quality. But after a few listens I was intrigued. They seemed to be obviously working within the whole 'emo' genre, at least in terms of image and lyrical content, yet after downloading some live videos and later buying DTMB I found this was not the case at all. They're basically an emotional,melodic rock band. Although im not talking indie filth here, the majority of it is distorted, with hard edged guitars and calming,clean chords filling out the space between the (forgive the cliche) heartfelt and soaring melodies. The one comparison that sprang to mind (for me at least) most of all was Trust Company. Perhaps its just the vocal sound, which has some strange spacey/strong reverb effect throughout, or the anthemic choruses. Despite this however, AFS dont have the same kind of arena like pretensions, nor are they as close to the whole metal side of things. Elements of Dashboard Confessional and more distorted and less British reminders of The Cure can be found throughout also. The lyrics arent typically emo either, most are pretty obvious love songs and have an emo tinge. One distinctive aspect being that despite the lost, apathetic and loning nature of the lyrics they're in a way very uplifting and beautiful in their simpicity. Within the album lies a concept also. The name Armor For Sleep supposedly represents the moment before you lapse into deep sleep and that feeling of vulnerability within it. It is this idea around which the entire album is based. Personally I dont see it in the main body of the tracks but the instrumental self titled intro (Armor For Sleep) and end track ('Slip Like Space') seem to sum up the band the in the most fitting way. My favourite song on there is more or less 'being your walls' which is one of the first 4 (and in my opinion strongest) songs on the album which make up most of the harder,faster tempo tracks. Yes i know I might gush a bit but I am officially a convert, the guitars are well structured and interlink amazingly. After getting some tabs I realised some of its pretty damn fiddly, but its not obvious from the songs, which I believe is by far the best way to be. The vocals, although lacking a bit live due to no backing, have a real endearing tone and a warm sound that make them sound like just another instrument within the song. The drumming is one of my favourite aspects however; precise, inventive and in my opinion their secret weapon! You can actually listen to these songs on their site, and I did but still bought the album. I hope thats convincing enough. Inevitably a lot of people may disagree with me but in my opinion its a greatly rounded debut album, beautifully mixed and produced with distinctive songs im sure everyone will relate to somehow. It does have its imperfections but given the fact that its their first album it is quite simply inspiring. If this is anything to go on their next release should be phenomenal!