Show Review

Finally, Armor For Sleep made their way to Boulder last week. Their first show with The Jealous Sound, it was coincidentally their first time in Colorado. The show had a mere 50-75 kids max, and was moved into The Fox Theater due to the Tulagi Theater (next door) getting shut down. Anyways, despite all rumors of AFS being 'off' live, etc., AFS put on a great show. As did The Jealous Sound, with their dark pop rock sound.

Laymen Terms opened again, and once again, I was far from impressed. The songs too long, the vocals too shallow, the beats all dry, I just couldn't find a way to get into them. Kids seemed to tap their toes a bit but no energy was expressed from the crowd by any means.

After a 20 minute set from Laymen Terms, Armor For Sleep took the stage, opening with "All Warm." The guitar work was on-target, as were the vocals. Maybe it's because I was getting so into it, but Ben's voice sounded completely solid. They played common favorites like "The Wanderer's Guild," "My Town," and of course they closed with "Dream To Make Believe," but Armor For Sleep ignored my pleas to play "Frost And Front Steps," and for some reason didn't play "Phantoms Now." I suppose they don't have time to perform all 11 amazing songs on the record, but their set list seemed to be missing something (Frost And Front Steps). Regardless of their song choices, the AFS performance was on-target, and I think it's safe to say all the kids there enjoyed them a lot. It was especially cool to see the band come out and hang out with all the kids at the show, before and after their set.

AFS seemed to steal the show, but from the huge crowd of people in their mid-20's to late 30's, you could tell everyone wasn't there to see them. The Jealous Sound took the stage and put on an awesome performance, playing a variety of songs from their last full length, "Kill Them With Kindness," and the EP they released before that. Everyone, even kids who didn't know them, was enjoying their dark, melodic pop sound, and his voice was incredibly accurate to the record. I was left wondering how a band can put on such a great performance.

If this tour hits your town, you're in for a great time. Two dark, melodic bands, one with a little more mainstream effect and one with a little of the indie underground influences, but one awe-inspiring performance. I was dully impressed with the musicianship of both of the bands, and felt they both matched entirely with their on-record sound.

review by Andrew Martin