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Smile for Them

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Smile for Them
A child playing with an airplane while film cameras document the proceedings
Studio album by
Armor for Sleep
ReleasedOctober 30, 2007
RecordedApril – June 2007
Studio
Genre
Length46:04
LabelSire
ProducerMachine
Armor for Sleep chronology
What to Do When You Are Dead
(2005) 		Smile for Them
(2007) 		The Way Out Is Broken
(2008)
Singles from Smile for Them
  1. "Williamsburg"
    Released: September 18, 2007
  2. "Hold the Door"
    Released: February 12, 2008

Smile for Them is the third studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released on October 30, 2007 through Sire Records. Shortly after the release of their second studio album What to Do When You Are Dead (2005), the band were writing material for its follow-up. In early 2006, the band announced they had signed to Sire Records, recording demos not long after. At the end of the year, they started recording with Ben Grosse in California, but after a few months, the songs were scrapped. Recording restarted with Machine as producer, with sessions taking place at The Machine Shop in Weehawken, New Jersey and Loho Studios in New York City. Smile for Them is an emo and post-hardcore album, which recalling the works of Foo Fighters, the Smashing Pumpkins and Quicksand, that deals with celebrity culture.

Smile for Them received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom praised the production from Machine, while others found the songwriting to be uninspired. The album peaked at number 93 on the US Billboard 200, after selling 9,400 copies in its first week. "Williamsburg" was released as the lead single from Smile for Them in September 2007. Prior to the album's release, the band supported the Academy Is... on their tour, before playing a few headlining shows towards the end of the year. At the start of 2007, the band went on a co-headlining US tour with Saosin, which was followed by the release of the album's second single, "Hold the Door", in February 2008. They then went on the Bamboozle Roadshow tour for the next three months, appeared at the Bamboozle Left festival, and then trekked across the country as part of the Projekt Revolution in July and August 2008.

Background and production

Armor for Sleep released their second studio album What to Do When You Are Dead through Equal Vision Records in February 2005.[1] It was promoted with two tours of the United States, leading up to an appearance on the 2005 Warped Tour.[2][3] They recorded some material on their bus using Pro Tools while on the latter tour.[4] Shortly after this, the band performed a new song, titled "The Way Out Is Broken". On January 12, 2006, the group released a demo of the song. The band had been reportedly working on the track for their third album, which was planned for release later in 2006.[5] The following month, frontman Ben Jorgensen revealed that the band had their next album fully written and was planning to record it after current touring engagements had ended.[6] On April 10, it was announced that the band had signed to Sire Records. In the same announcement, it was revealed that the group would not release an album until the following year.[7] The band then recorded demos at a studio in New Jersey, before performing on the 2006 Warped Tour.[4][8]

In December 2006, it was announced that the band were recording at Mix Room in Burbank, California with producer Ben Grosse.[9] These sessions were arranged by Sire; the band were not content with the proceedings.[10] They had done seven-to-eight songs over three months, before touring with Taking Back Sunday and Underoath in February and March 2007.[11][12][13] Towards the end of the trek, Armor for Sleep opted to scrap what they had made up to that point and being again.[11][12] More demos were recorded with Ryan Sellick at Northshore Studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut, with engineer Dan Scarzella.[14] Smile for Them was recorded at The Machine Shop in Weehawken, New Jersey with producer Machine between April and June 2007. Drums were recorded at Loho Studios in New York City. Machine, Will Putney and Dan McLoughlin served as engineers throughout the sessions, while Putney and Sellick also handled additional tracking and drum editing. Machine mixed seven of the recordings; Neal Avron mixed the remaining songs. Ted Jensen then mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New York City.[14]

Composition

Musically, the sound of Smile for Them has been described as emo and post-hardcore, reminiscent of the works of the Foo Fighters, the Smashing Pumpkins and Quicksand.[10][15][16] AbsolutePunk staff writer Drew Beringer said Jorgensen wrote "lyrics about a culture that’s dependant and obsessed with celebrity news and reality television, among other social commentaries".[10] Punknews.org staff writer Tyler Barrett added to this, stating that while "[i]mmersed in a sterile, fictional reality, the young protagonist rejects the plastic, planned world of hallow celebrity and Hollywood safety".[16] Jorgensen saw it as an observation on culture, in contrast to the introspective style of What to Do When You Are Dead.[17] He treated the release as two mini-albums, with the break occurring between "Snow Globe" and "End of the World", the latter of which was originally planned to the open the album. Jorgensen would typically come up with a part and show it to the rest of the band, who add their own ideas to it. They collectively wrote 40 songs in total for potential inclusion on the album.[18]

The majority of the tracks on Smile for Them were written by the band, with the exception of "Hold the Door" and "Stand in the Spotlight". These two were co-written between the band, Machine and Jon Deley.[14] It opens with the emo song "Smile for the Camera"; Jorgensen said since the last album the band attracted the attention of a lot of people, "and it’s just kind of making commentary on people who kind of have the impression that they are trapped in their own reality tv show".[16][19] "Williamsburg" sees Jorgensen callout hipsters in Brooklyn, New York City.[16][17] Jorgensen explained: "It's weird because part of what gets you into the cool club is being condescending", which he found annoying.[17] "Hold the Door" recalled the material on What to Do When You Are Dead due to its use of electronic sounds.[10] "Run Right Back In" is an My Chemical Romance-esque track, while "Snow Globe" incorporates subtle strings.[20] "End of the World" deals with the apocalypse and the effects of global warming.[10][21] "Lullaby" includes acoustic guitarwork; Jorgensen said it tackled the four-year relationship he was in that ended during the making of the album.[16][22] "Chemicals" features a Moog synthesizer, while "My Saving Grace" features similar electronic beats.[10][16]

Release and promotion

In the midst of recording, they appeared at The Bamboozle festival.[23] On July 18, 2007, the band's next album was announced for release in a few months' time. In addition to this, "End of the World" was posted on the band's Myspace profile.[24] Between September and November 2007, the group supported The Academy Is... on their Sleeping with Giants tour.[25] On September 18, 2007, Smile for Them was announced for release in three weeks' time.[26] Alongside this, "Williamsburg" was released as the album's lead single and "Smile for the Camera" was posted online.[26][27] After originally planned for release in mid-2007,[9] Smile for Them was made available for streaming on October 25, 2007, before being released through Sire Records five days later.[28] The album's artwork shows a child surrounded by photographers; Jorgensen eaplied: "[Y]ou have the innocence of this little kid who’s just trying to mind his own business on one side. And then on the other, it’s this oppressive camera crew that’s getting in his face".[18]

The day after the album's release, a music video was released for "Williamsburg".[29] It premiered on Total Request Live; it acts as a tutorial on dressing like a hipster.[30][19] They ended the year with a handful of headlining shows.[17] In January and February 2008, the band went on a co-headlining US tour with Saosin. They were supported by the Bled and Meriwether.[31] "Hold the Door" was released to radio on February 12.[32] Between late March and early May, the group performed on the Bamboozle Roadshow with Saves the Day, Set Your Goals and Metro Station.[33] The stint included an appearance at the Bamboozle Left festival.[34] In July and August 2008, the band participated in the 2008 edition of the Projekt Revolution tour.[35] The music videos for "Williamsburg" and "Hold the Door" were later posted to YouTube in October 2009.[36][37]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk66%[10]
Melodic[38]
Ox-Fanzine6/10[39]
The Phoenix[40]
PopMatters3/10[20]
Punknews.org[16]
Rock Hard7/10[41]

Smile for Them was met with mixed reviews from music critics. The staff at AllMusic said the band had their "rock moves down to a science, [...] it's radio rock made in a way that very few young bands remember how to do".[15] Beringer said that while the album lacked a hit song, it did feature a "number of solid tracks that could do well," highlighting "Williamsburg" and "Lullaby". He complimented the "superb" and "pristine" production, but noted that some fans would "miss the lyrics and concepts that graced the first two albums".[10] Mikael Wood of The Phoenix considered it "refreshing to hear a bitchy emo record that doesn’t direct all its ire toward the heartless females".[40] Rock Hard's Katharina Pfeifle said the band offered 12 "pretty fresh and free-sounding" tracks, though they were a "little too polished and tailored to the target audience".[41] Barrett praised the band for "put[ting] their major label budget to use" as the production is "rich enough to cover all the bases of popular rock music".[16]

David Schumann of Ox-Fanzine felt like the band's past albums, Smile for Them "just doesn't really work for me either" as the melodies came across as too "interchangeable, too unspectacular" and the hooks were "boldly produced refrains," yet "too transparent and predictable".[39] Melodic staff member Kaj Roth said that aside from the delay guitar effect, the album "follows formula 1A of a popular emo record". He wrote that they will not be "breaking new grounds" with tracks such as "My Saving Grace" and "Chemicals", giving unfavorable comparisons to Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, "but who says everything has to be ground breaking?".[38] Exclaim! writer Sam Sutherland said the album "utterly fails to rein in the band's boring pop tendencies," which had been "so well in check on past records". He went on to call it a "massive-sounding, hella dull record about some whiny shit that no one but [...] Jorgensen probably cares about".[42] PopMatters contributor Chris Baynes said he "needn’t have bothered" listening to the album, saying it was full of "tired riffs," with a "predictable subject matter, these hackneyed lyrics, which have all been done before by a hundred bands of the same genus".[20]

Smile for Them peaked at number 93 on Billboard 200, selling 9,400 copies in its first week.[43]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Ben Jorgensen, all music written by Armor for Sleep, except "Hold the Door" and "Stand in the Spotlight" by Machine, Jon Deley and Armor for the Sleep.[14]

No.TitleLength
1."Smile for the Camera"3:34
2."Williamsburg"3:42
3."Somebody Else's Arms"4:22
4."Hold the Door"5:34
5."Run Right Back In"3:22
6."Snow Globe"1:48
7."End of the World"4:10
8."Stars in Your Eyes"4:02
9."Lullaby"4:09
10."Chemicals"4:22
11."My Saving Grace"4:19
12."Stand in the Spotlight"4:00

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[14]

Charts

Chart performance for Smile for Them
Chart (2007) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[44] 93

References

  1. ^ "What to Do When You Are Dead - Armor for Sleep | Release Info". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  2. ^ Adams, Chip (March 31, 2005). "Armor For Sleep Continues Tour". The Fader. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  3. ^ Paul, Aubin (April 2, 2005). "Midtown cancels most Warped Tour appearances, recording this summer". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Rosen, Steven (June 28, 2006). "Armor For Sleep Guitarist: New Record To Be 'A Little More Real World'". Ultimate Guitar. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  5. ^ "Armor For Sleep post new demo online". Alternative Press. January 12, 2006. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  6. ^ Bivens, Trevor (February 3, 2006). "Armor For Sleep Interview February 2nd 2006". Driven Far Off. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  7. ^ "Armor For Sleep sign to Sire Records". Alternative Press. April 10, 2006. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  8. ^ "Warped Tour confirms tour routing, venues, more bands". Alternative Press. March 2, 2006. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Armor For Sleep begin work on new album". Alternative Press. December 14, 2006. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Beringer, Drew (February 10, 2012). "Armor for Sleep - Smile for Them - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ a b Armor for Sleep (May 16, 2012). "Who's Gonna Lie To You". SoundCloud. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Barbe, Andrea (October 30, 2007). "Armor for Sleep's Ben Jorgensen on new album". The Gateway. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  13. ^ "Taking Back Sunday Announce North American Headline Tour". Spin. December 6, 2006. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c d e Smile for Them (booklet). Armor for Sleep. Sire Records. 2007. 132348-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ a b "Smile for Them - Armor for Sleep - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Barrett, Tyler (November 30, 2007). "Armor for Sleep - Smile for Them". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  17. ^ a b c d Gorce, Tammy La (December 9, 2007). "Who Says You Can't Leave Home? Armor for Sleep". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Kopki, Alison (December 19, 2007). "Interview with Armor For Sleep: The Second Time Around (page 2)". The Aquarian Weekly. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Kopki, Alison (December 19, 2007). "Interview with Armor For Sleep: The Second Time Around". The Aquarian Weekly. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Baynes, Chris (November 29, 2007). "Armor for Sleep: Smile for Them". PopMatters. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  21. ^ Cray, Jen (October 30, 2007). "Armor for Sleep". Ink 19. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  22. ^ Willschick, Aaron (October 1, 2007). "Interview with Armor For Sleep lead singer Ben Jorgensen". V13. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  23. ^ Paul, Aubin (December 13, 2006). "Bamboozle adds Blood Brothers, Catch 22, Bayside, Scary Kids, Starting Line". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  24. ^ Wippsson, Johan (July 18, 2007). "New tune and album from Armor For Sleep; prod by Ben Grosse". Melodic. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  25. ^ "The Academy Is… to tour with Armor For Sleep this fall". Alternative Press. June 13, 2007. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  26. ^ a b Paul, Aubin (September 18, 2007). "Armor for Sleep plans to 'Smile For Them' in October". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  27. ^ "Williamsburg - Single by Armor For Sleep". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  28. ^ Paul, Aubin (October 26, 2007). "Armor For Sleep: 'Smile for Them'". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  29. ^ Paul, Aubin (October 31, 2007). "Armor for Sleep: 'Williamsburg'". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  30. ^ "Don't Expect To See Armor For Sleep In 'Williamsburg' Anytime Soon". MTV. October 29, 2007. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  31. ^ "Saosin/Armor For Sleep co-headlining tour dates revealed". Alternative Press. December 5, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  32. ^ "AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly". AllAccess. February 5, 2008. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  33. ^ Paul, Aubin (January 21, 2008). "Saves the Day / Armor for Sleep / Set Your Goals / Metro Station on Bamboozle Roadshow". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  34. ^ "Blaqk Audio, Hot Water Music, H2O added to Bamboozle Left". Alternative Press. February 15, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  35. ^ "Linkin Park Prepare To Party". IGN. April 16, 2008. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  36. ^ Armorforsleep (October 27, 2009). Armor For Sleep - Williamsburg (Video). Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022 – via YouTube.
  37. ^ Armorforsleep (October 27, 2009). Armor For Sleep - Hold The Door (Video). Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022 – via YouTube.
  38. ^ a b Roth, Kaj (October 21, 2007). "Armor for Sleep - Smile for Them". Melodic. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  39. ^ a b Schumann, David (April–May 2008). "Reviews: Armor for Sleep / Smile for Them". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  40. ^ a b Wood, Mikael (December 26, 2007). "Armor for Sleep". The Phoenix. Archived from the original on March 13, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  41. ^ a b Pfeifle, Katharina (March 19, 2003). "Armor for Sleep - Smile for Them". Rock Hard (in German). Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  42. ^ Sutherland, Sam (November 26, 2007). "Armor For Sleep Smile For Them". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  43. ^ Harris, Chris (November 7, 2007). "Eagles Land Billboard #1 Over Britney Spears; Avenged Sevenfold, Backstreet Boys Also Crack Top 10". MTV. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  44. ^ "Armor for Sleep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
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