Armor for Sleep - Dream to Make Believe

Armor For Sleep
Dream to Make Believe
Equalvision Records
Grade: A-

This record has the official "Berry Seal of Approval." Who is Berry you ask? Berry is my dog and she decided that Armor For Sleep was so delicious that she ate their press release, sticker, envelope and probably the CD if I didn't come home when I did. This is the only time she has ever done that, so I had to get a listen of Dream to Make Believe, so that I could believe what Berry believed. Armor for Sleep are a four-piece from New Jersey. They are led, in part, by singer and guitarist Ben Jorgensen (no relation to Ministry I assume) who initially constructed and conceptionalized AFS. Jorgensen, joined by slight backing vocals at times, has a focused and tight singing style that flows seamlessly with the music. And such, AFS have a very close union of vocal cadence and music; an objective often reached for but rarely achieved. The eleven tracks, well really ten because the opening is filler, are soft and pleasing to the ears. AFS do not take any risks in their sound, but the level of familiar movements are quite first-rate and could be appreciate by scores of listeners. The first half of the record is upbeat and mid-tempo, while the second slows down. I think that AFS does much better with the mid and up-tempo material. Among the standout tracks are "My Town," "Dream To Make Believe," "Being Your Walls" and "All Warm." "The Wanderers Guild" is noticeable for a chorus that sounds just too familiar. It is haunting me and I am not sure that if I've heard it before on something or whether it just is the same construction as another song. Armor for Sleep have toured with a number of bands leading the new wave of rock including Thursday, Taking Back Sunday and Piebald. Look for them to do more of the same in the near future. We shall see what becomes of Armor for Sleep and whether Berry was correct in her prediction. I may start taking mailings and leaving them in a room with her and she which ones she decided to destroy.