What to Do When You Are Dead

What to Do When You Are Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep. Following the completion of two songs written from the perspective of being dead, vocalist/guitarist Ben Jorgensen created a whole story from this viewpoint. What to Do When You Are Dead is a concept album, with each song telling the story of the aftermath of the protagonist's suicide and his journey through the afterlife. Recording took place between August and October 2004 with producer Machine. A rough mix of "Car Underwater" was made available in November, followed by two US tours in February 2005. What to Do When You Are Dead was released on February 22 through independent label Equal Vision Records.

Following a couple of US tours in April and May 2005, "Car Underwater" was released as a radio single. The group performed on the Warped Tour, before touring across the US in September and November. Later in November, a music video was released for "The Truth About Heaven", followed by a UK tour in December. In early 2006, the group went on a three-month headlining US tour, before appearing on Warped Tour again. What to Do When You Are Dead received mixed-to-favourable reviews and went on to sell over 200,000 copies. It peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200 and reached the top 10 on two other Billboard charts. To celebrate the album's 10th anniversary, the group played a series of shows in late 2015.

Background and recording

In February 2003, Armor for Sleep signed to independent label Equal Vision Records who released the group's debut album Dream to Make Believe in June that year. According to AllMusic biographer James Christopher Monger, the release gave the group "a solid spot" in the developing emo pop genre.

What to Do When You Are Dead was recorded between August and October 2004 at Water Music and The Machine Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey. Producer duties were handled by Machine. Machine then engineered and mixed the recordings. Additional engineering was performed by Jacob Nyger. Will Quinnell mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New York City. Around this time, Jorgensen was going through a break-up of his "first real relationship," combined with the two years of touring with the group "...It was a very transitional period, and all those emotions converged." He initially composed the songs before showing them to the rest of the band; writing the lyrics in isolation. He later pondered that he should've "asked for help but it was something I wanted to be from me completely". According to Decicco, every song on the album is in Drop D tuning, often incorporating a ninth chord, which gave a "super rich" sound. Alternative Press categorized the album's sound as "scene music" in addition to emo and punk.

What to Do When You Are Dead opens with "Car Underwater", where the narrator sings about crashing into a lake and entering the afterlife. With "The Truth About Heaven", the group were unsure how to go into the first verse until Jorgensen came up with a single-note line that both he and Decicco liked. The line was recorded as an overdub using a separate guitar. Decicco said the group wanted "Remember to Feel Real" to "just have it start and ... kick your ass". Some observers have noted the character going through the Kübler-Ross 5-stage model of grief management. The band were initially hesitant working on a concept album until they were persuaded by Jorgensen.

Release

In October 2004, Armor for Sleep toured with the Academy Is... On November 3, 2004, What to Do When You Are Dead was announced for release in three months' time, and a rough mix of "Car Underwater" was made available for streaming through the band's PureVolume profile. In early February 2005, the band went on tour with Something Corporate, Straylight Run, and the Academy Is... Later in the month, the group toured with Recover, Say Anything, and Case Pagan. What to Do When You Are Dead was released through Equal Vision Records on February 22. Some copies of the album included a bonus DVD that contained live footage, a documentary on the creation of the album, as well as music videos for Dream to Make Believe songs "My Town" and "Dream to Make Believe". On March 18, a music video was released for "Car Underwater". In April, the group went on tour with The Starting Line, Mae, and Suicide Pack. Following this, the group went on tour in April and May with The All-American Rejects, and Hellogoodbye. "Car Underwater" was released as a radio single on May 3.

Armor for Sleep performed on the West Coast and Midwestern dates of the Warped Tour in June and July 2005 after Midtown cancelled their appearances. Following this, they toured with From Autumn to Ashes, Emanuel, and Biology in September. On October 18, "Very Invisible" was made available for streaming via the band's PureVolume account. In November, the band toured across the US with Matchbook Romance, Lovedrug and Gatsbys American Dream. A Comprehensive Guide to Touring, the band's first video album, was released during this; it documented the initial tours supporting the album. A music video for "The Truth About Heaven" was made available via MTVU on November 23. Directed by Alan Ferguson, it features a dead person "looking back on his loved ones," according to AbsolutePunk. The band then went on a tour of the UK in December with Chiodos. From late January to mid-March 2006, the group went on a headlining tour of the US, dubbed The Invisible Sideshow Tour, with support from Boys Night Out, Chiodos and Action Reaction. Following this, they appeared at The Bamboozle festival, and went on the Warped Tour. A music video for "Remember to Feel Real" was posted on YouTube on June 6, 2006. A remix of the track was included on the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack, released in August.

Reception

Critical response

Critical reception of What to Do When You Are Dead was varied. AllMusic reviewer John D. Luerssen wrote that the record "ups the punk/emo ante" with "fabulously" composed songs, as well as a yearning to tackle the "norms of a movement that has grown increasingly stale". Chart Attack concluded with: "Songs about dead people have rarely sounded so damned full of life." Uthayashanker compared Jorgensen to Brand New frontman Jesse Lacey and was convinced she was listening to Brand New during "Stay on the Ground" and "Walking at Night, Alone".

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of What to Do When You Are Dead, the band performed a series of shows in September, October and December 2015, during which they performed the album in its entirety. In 2015, Maria Sherman of Fuse.tv wrote that the album set the blueprint for "future pop-punk bands to explore concept records in very real ways". AXS contributor Tarynn Law wrote that "the instantly relateable tracks that filled What To Do When You Are Dead soundtracked the teenage angst of kids all around the country for years to come". Brian Aberback of NorthJersey.com noted that the album placed the band on the "indie-rock map and continues to resonate heavily with fans 10 years later". NJ.com included the album at number 46 on the best New Jersey albums from the 21st century. As It Is frontman Patty Walters cited it as the biggest influence on their album The Great Depression (2019).

The band will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album with a tour in March and April of 2025.

Track listing

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.

Armor for Sleep

Ben Jorgensen – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
Anthony Dilonno – bass guitar, backing vocals
PJ Decicco – lead guitar
Nash Breen – drums

Production and design

Machine – producer, engineer, mixing
Jacob Nyger – additional engineering
Will Quinnell – mastering
Ben Jorgensen – art direction
Asterik Studio – art direction, design
Rob Dobi – booklet
Dave Hill – photography

Charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Chart performance for<br/>What to Do When You Are Dead

! scope="col"| Chart (2005)

! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position

!scope="row" | US Billboard 200

| 101

!scope="row" | US Billboard Heatseekers Albums

| 1

!scope="row" | US Billboard Independent Albums

| 8

References

Citations

Sources

External links

What to Do When You Are Dead at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
What to Do When You Are Dead - the original book by Craig Hamilton-Parker on which the album title was based. book