As Cities Burn - "Come Now, Sleep"

This album came out of nowhere and surprised the heck out of me. Their debut album, from the clips I've listened to, was pretty much a scream-fest. I had heard they had a new front man and were pretty much dropping the scream-fest. So, I decided to give it a listen. I did not expect to be blown away, but I most certainly was. They kind of remind me a cross between Brand New and mewithoutYou (Brother, Sister-era). The vocals often start off soft, only to build almost to the point of shouting with deep emotion. If anything would scare listeners away, it probably would be the vocals. The music is unreal. Some odd time signatures here and there are a bit of a highlight, but the guitars are at the forefront. When the songs peak, with the guitars screaming and drums crashing, it is quite breathtaking. For the most part, there is nothing at all that is predictable about the music. When you think something is coming, they often go into an entirely different direction than expected. And one thing is for sure - they take their time making their statements. There is a 5-minute song, two 6-minute songs, a 7-minute song, and an album-ending 13-minute song (which, admittedly, drags on a bit too long). Each song is rather complex. They do not subscribe to the old ABABCBB type of song structure. I swear one of the songs is more like ABCDEFDG...I kid you not. And, finally, the lyrics. Oh, the lyrics! They are probably the high point on an already impressive album. Here are some snippets from five of the ten songs.

"We're all sinking for our sins
Unless grace be the wind
To fill our sails"

"Is your god really God?
Is my god really God?
I think our god isn't God,
If he fits inside our heads."

"'Cause even with my feet on the path,
Our quiet hearts lost contact.
So now I'm wandering off,
Just to hear you calling me back."

"I'm sure if you wanted to stop love,
You could just untie your end and let it go.
But, my God, you don't."

"It's not the sound keeping me from sleep,
It's what Jesus said about hell underneath.
I think I'd rather believe it's some imaginary place,
Made up to make children behave,
So our souls are safe to wander off,
Wherever they might please.
Your soul is safe wherever you might be."

So, needless to say, I'm really liking this. Who else would like it? Hmm, that's a good question. I'm thinking bloop and NinjaRob17 would. Brenden and cowdude might. Josh is definitely out. Murlough is probably out, too. I'm not sure about JoshPowell and TheWanderer (if they kept their music journals up to date, I would have a better idea).