What to Do When You Are Dead

What to Do When You Are Dead
Studio album by Armor for Sleep
Released	February 22, 2005
Recorded	August–October 2004 at Water Music Recorders, Hoboken, New Jersey
Genre	Emo, punk rock[1]
Length	44:15
Label	Equal Vision
Producer	Machine
Armor for Sleep chronology
Dream to Make Believe (2003) What to Do When You Are Dead (2005) Smile for Them (2007)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

What to Do When You Are Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released February 22, 2005 on Equal Vision Records. It is a concept album, with each song telling the story of the protagonist's suicide as well as his journey through the afterlife. By August 2006, the album had sold over 185,000 copies.^[2]

Concept

The album begins with a hidden track in the pregap, a monologue spoken by the album's protagonist discussing his thoughts and feelings before he commits suicide. The track fades into the first track, "Car Underwater", describing how he plunges his car into an unnamed body of water, as a result of a straining relationship with his significant other (their status was not discussed at any point).

The remaining tracks feature moments of personal introspection at the positive and negative aspects of his life, while he quietly stalks around important locations of his past life (such as his girlfriend's home) without disturbing anyone. Analyzing the lyrics of each track, you can see him progress through the Kübler-Ross 5-stage model of grief management as he initially denies his situation, then wishes for a reversal, and finally, accepting his fate.

The album ends with the character finally coming to grips with his decision and watching his friends move on, and his spirit continues on, having completed his business in this life.

Initial Release

Initial copies of the CD came with a bonus DVD that featured live footage of the band, as well as music videos for the tracks "My Town" and "Dream to Make Believe" (from their previous album, Dream to Make Believe). It also included a "Making of This CD" documentary as part of the DVD. Finally, a little booklet was included, entitled What to Do When You Are Dead: A Comprehensive Guide to the Afterlife. It features (satirical) ways to cope with death should you unexpectedly perish.

Track listing

All lyrics and music by Armor For Sleep.

0. "One Last Regret" (pregap hidden track) - 1:17
1. "Car Underwater" - 3:48
2. "The Truth About Heaven" - 3:30
3. "Remember to Feel Real" - 3:21
4. "Awkward Last Words" - 3:46
5. "Stay on the Ground" - 4:30
6. "A Quick Little Flight" - 2:12
7. "The More You Talk the Less I Hear" - 4:04
8. "Basement Ghost Singing" - 4:36
9. "Walking at Night, Alone" - 4:14
10. "I Have Been Right All Along" - 3:46
11. "The End of a Fraud" - 5:11

iTunes bonus track

12. "Very Invisible" - 4:22

Personnel

Band

• Ben Jorgensen - vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, lyrics, art direction
• P.J. DeCicco - lead guitar
• Anthony Dilonno - bass guitar
• Nash Breen - drums, percussion

Production

• Machine - production, engineering, mixing
• Jakob Nygard - Additional engineering
• Will Quinnell - mastering
• Dave Hill - photography

References

1. D. Luerssen, John. "What to Do When You Are Dead > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 February 2005.
2. Kohli, Rohan (August 10, 2006). "Soundscan Results: Week Ending August 6th, 2006". absolutepunk.net. Retrieved February 12, 2016.

External links

• What to Do When You Are Dead - the original book by Craig Hamilton-Parker on which the album title was based. book