Armor for Sleep

While already having a few notches in their belt, Armor for Sleep is ready to make their major label debut with Smile for Them on Sire Records. The die-hards have been salivating at the chance to snatch this one up, but the still-need-convincing will probably need a lot more to put a smile on their face.

Armor for Sleep certainly meets the standard requirements to compete with the other mainstream punk rockers. Crunching guitar riffs pounded into your brain like the Pythagorean Theorem in high school? Check. The pulsating drum beats that rattle your fillings? Check. The gut-wrenching emotion, attitude and stinging lyrics that could make you cry or scream on command? That’s where the drop-off occurs.

If you can make it past the mediocre opening that is “Smile for the Camera,” you’ll find the real start of the album with “Williamsburg.” It may be somewhat cookie-cutter, but it’s easy on the ears, follows the formula and will probably be a sure hit for them, albeit a bit safe. They follow it up nicely with “Somebody Else’s Arms,” a catchy tune that’s teetering on the brink of being sucked into pop radio, but still enough attitude to hold off that onslaught.

And then the lull begins.

Armor for Sleep are undoubtedly talented musicians but are undone by their lackluster songwriting. And it’s hard to produce raw emotion with average lyrics. Their sound isn’t wholly original, and this begins to show toward the middle of the album. The songs are good, but not great. The music is solid and tight, but not unique.

“Snow Globe” is the only real standout midway through the album – they slow it down, focusing less on instrumentation and more on delivery. It’s simple and sometimes simplicity works. It’s a hauntingly beautiful song that proves that they do have what it takes to break out of the mold that a lot of the mainstream punk rockers fit in right now.

“Lullaby” gets them back on track with another slower number, as the name would suggest. And saving the best for last, “My Saving Grace” is a must-listen. Sure, they can fit the punk mold and sit idly in neutral as other bands with similar sounds rev their engines a bit, but “My Saving Grace,” as well as the final cut, “Stand in the Spotlight,” showcases a different side of the band, one that cracks the mold. Those tracks are less formulaic, less cookie-cutter and more, well, Armor for Sleep. And I can dig that.

Punk seems to be the latest thing on which the mainstream conglomerates are latching, so much that it’s turning into a rat race. Armor for Sleep streamed the full album from their MySpace page prior to the release of Smile for Them, and it seems quite popular with their current fans. But grabbing hold of the new fans is paramount for any major label debut, and unless these new listeners are patient and can get past the unimpressive beginning and middle to find the gems at the end, Armor for Sleep may have to be content with running in the middle of the pack until their sophomore effort comes along.

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