I’m baaack!
Hey guys! If you’ve been to the Delirium site, you’ve seen this before, but I figured you all haven’t. And this is some important stuff, ladies and germs! (Its on the final exam!)

I figured I’d give you guys a taste of what music I do approve of. And what better band to give you than one of my tops?

I present you, Armor For Sleep!

This now defunct rock band was started by the socially inept vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Ben Jorgensen. They formed in 2001 and were able to put out their first album Dream To Make Believe in 2003.

This album has a subtle concept to it. You’d have to either actual search it out or have it click immediately in your mind to realize this (or you know, have a basic feel of the lyrics, but I digress). The theme, you ask? Sleepwalking, dreams and controlling them as long as you keep sleeping.

Jorgenson’s voice has a very raw sound to it, noticeably different from their follow-up albums, which seems to fit nicely with the theme and the seemingly innocent and ethereal lyrics and catchy instrumentals and amazing guitar work.

Their second album, which came out in 2005, is called What To Do When You Are Dead. Its another concept album, put this one has firmer roots in the single idea and tells an obvious tale of a character’s suicide as he goes through the steps of death and accepting his passing.

It may sound like a tiring, morbid emo-ridden album, but its actually extremely enjoyable and the tracks stick in your head easily, not only for the lyrics or instrumentals, but the tale that Jorgensen wrote out and has you and I, as the listener, follow and identify with. Yeah, we haven’t all died, but the emotions and actions that the character goes through do mimic many situations that we all struggle with on a daily basis. This was their most popular album.

Their third album, called Smile For Them, came out in 2007 and would be their final LP. This album, while not officially a concept album, definitely has an air of storytelling to it. It seems to focus on an Echelon/Big Brother aspect and a near-apocalyptic description of society and the world as we know it. (Their own version of 2012?)

I did not enjoy it as much as their first two efforts, but the album is definitely worth the asking price at whatever retailer you decide to purchase it at. Several of the songs on this album were featured in hit movies in 2007 (Snakes On A Plane and Transformers) and all the songs are worth having on multiple playlists on your iPod, Zune, or insert random mp3 brand here.

Now, about a year before they decided to call it quits, they released an EP to satiate the appetites of the fans while they were supposedly recording for a new LP (or not). They called it The Way Out Is Broken (foreshadowing?). It was a digital-only release that could be purchased during their stint on the Projekt Revolution tour and the EP was supposed to feature some songs that were supposed to be on the new album that next year.

It had five songs that were, to be honest, must stronger than half their Smile For Them album and it draws at the roots of their first album Dream To Make Believe and has a gray, yet intriguing air I remembered from What To Do When You Are Dead.

The spring before they announced their news of breaking up, they put up a song they’d been working on called “Chameleons” for a free download on their site. The song was an obvious unpolished demo that, once finished, would have been an amazing song.

Its a sad new decade in alternative rock when we realize that, in 2010, Armor For Sleep is officially gone. This band was around for almost all of the ‘00 Decade and half my high school years. This band was an unrecognized gem that, unfortunately, could not stand the test of its band members growing up and wanting to see what else was out there for them.

If you don’t already own their albums, you need to get out there and buy them/download them. They’re a necessity for any music lover’s collection and we can all hope that one day they’d maybe think to do something together again.
A side note, Ben has joined another band called God Loves A Challenge.

R.I.P. AFS. You might be gone, but we all need our armor in our dreams!

-Tashia