Album- With Ears to See and Eyes To Hear
Artist- Sleeping With Sirens
Length- 31.1 Minutes (According to iTunes)
Track Listing:
1. If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn
2. The Bomb Dot Com V2.0
3. You Kill Me (In A Good Way)
4. Let Love Bleed Red
5. Captain Tyin Knots Vs. Mr. Walkway (No Way)
6. Don't Fall Asleep At The Helm
7. With Ears To See, And Eyes To Hear
8. In Case Of Emergency, Dial 411
9. The Left Side Of Everywhere
10. Dance Party
Sleeping With Sirens are relatively new to the Post-Hardcore scene. Of course, with their recent signing to Rise Records (which seems to be the label to pick up most of the Post-Hardcore bands lately), the need for an album to put put out was dire. Myspace clamor and self-promotion is the name of the game with these guys. Sleeping With Sirens seem to be following the Post-Hardcore formula as well as they can: catchy choruses, heavy guitar and drum breakdowns, an a little splash of beauty. But here is where Sleeping With Sirens try to differentiate themselves from the rest of the crowd: The ratio of screaming to singing is skewed in favor of singing. This can convey a sense that this album is light and airy, but it hits you like a rock, only letting up occasionally to let you catch a breath, then back to the headbanging. "If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn" sounds like A mixture between the high register acrobatics of Jag of A Skylit Drive mixed with a voice similar to Hayley of Paramore. If you don't believe me, watch the video for the song here.
"The Bomb Dot Com V2.0" has a really awesome vibe to it. The opening is powerful and has a great punchy feel to it. "You Kill Me (In A Good Way)" brings back the similarities to Rise Records labelmate A Skylit Drive with the high register vocals as well as the soft, somber, noodling guitar sound. If this song was put on A Skylit Drive's disc Wires... And The Concept Of Breathing, I would easily mistake it for one of their songs. Vocalist Kellen Quinn obviously draws influence from them, but the fact of the matter is that it seems that Quinn and company are behind the curve on the sound, but the actual album is no sleeper whatsoever.
"Let Love Bleed Red" is a tender, floating song that almost breaks the album's flow in a dangerous way, but "Captain Tyin Knots Vs. Mr. Walkaway (No Way" kicks in with a Underoath like disjointed intro and keeps the mood up. "Don't Fall Asleep At The Helm" seems like it would be more in place on Thrice's The Alchemy Index Vol 2- Water. It has a similar techno sounding water themed feel to it. It's in no way a bad song, but after "Captain Knots", this puts the album back in the hole that "Let Love Bleed Red" put it in, teetering dangerously close to breaking the album's flow. The title track figures out what the hell the band is doing and decides to attempt to drag them out of said hole, with successful results. The song brings back the Underoath and A Skylit Drive feel, but there is nothing wrong with that.
And this is where the album really shines. "In Case Of Emergency, Dial 411" is a catchy song that guarantees the listener that the chorus will be stuck in their head for days. The drum work on the song is particularly spectacular for a Post-Hardcore act. The last two songs "The Left Side Of Everywhere" and "Dance Party" get the user amped up one more time, and then let down easily and slowly.
Overall, it seems like Sleeping With Sirens are having trouble establishing a sound that is all their own, with all of the Underoath and A Skylit Drive type musical stylings spread across the album. They also have something to learn about album flow. Two tracks almost derailed the entire album's feel. Next time guys, let's pick a style and stick with it and leave the acoustic and experimental tracks for the bonus tracks.
Overall Rating (Out Of 5): 4
Reccomended Tracks:
If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn
The Bomb Dot Com V2.0
In Case Of Emergency, Dial 411
