City Sleeps - Not an Angel

Rating

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RIYL

Anberlin
Bedlight For Blueeyes
Three Doors Down

Label

Trustkill

Tracklist

01. Hotel
02. Prototype
03. Just Another Day
04. Not An Angel
05. Walker's Ridge
06. Ordinary High
07. I Can't Make You Love Me
08. Andrea
09. Bones
10. Be A Man
11. Sleep With Me
12. Check Out

Users Rating

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3 ratings

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Within encountering City Sleep’s Not An Angel, people may look at their album cover and immediately fixate on the band as the subject of their satire. An attractive blonde, inked with tattoos and mascara, stands as the album cover while the band, heaped with the trashy-trendy hard rock outfits, poses inside the case. The stereotype meets further confirmation as they proudly namedrop the bands they’ve toured with: Saliva, Goldfinger, and Three Doors Down.

When a band so easily meets the criteria of a stereotype, it’s easier to judge them. As the band poses, looking like they’re ready to rock and rumble, their music leans more towards the output of a dirty motorcyclist and his poetry. City Sleeps encompasses a theatrical yet rugged silhouette and Not An Angel has the same bittersweet composition.

Introducing the album is “Hotel”, a somber tidbit of City Sleep’s ability to mend together a theatric use of ordinary instruments to create an almost Bohemian Rhapsody which lasts throughout the album. Rather than utilizing classic rock components, the band creates tracks like “Prototype” and “Not An Angel” which consist of the typical hard rock chugging of guitars but with a catchy chorus that brings the lyrics alive.

The writing of their songs is neither unorthodox nor unoriginal; however, a few aberrations from the standard cause a bit of strain. Initially, the first encounter with City Sleeps is awkward. The band has a predilection to have an almost stuttering repetition in lyrics along with their smooth sounds. Both together scratches at the ears. The vocalist, Elliot Marsh Sharp, has a voice somewhat reminiscing of Billy Joe Armstrong on lower notes but often stretches his breath throughout songs. Tracks like “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and “Andrea” are borderline corny in how serious the band takes themselves, especially with how the lyrics “now we all cry like little girls,” are sung in “Bones” with a vocalist screaming, tearing at his vocal chords, repeating “little girls”.

The album starts off on a good note and is very catchy after a little getting used to. The album beautifully oscillates from theatric to hard rock. Not An Angel has points where it’s pretentious, but other points where it’s just perfect.

--Fiona Lee

Author

Fiona Lee
Last updated: 09/29/2009 08:59PM

Comments

Chris Conlan
10/12/2007
08:58AM
Age: 27
Location
Dubuque
I can't believe they used the same album that Reprise was going to release like in 2005.

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Zach Roth
10/12/2007
12:50PM
Age: 24
Location
Fishers, Indiana
Your final paragraph ends the review on much too high of a high note, considering your score.

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rustycage
10/13/2007
08:00AM
yeah... sometimes I was thinking it was at least a 3 stars review.
tim
10/13/2007
03:37PM
Age: 28
Location
Green Brook, NJ
i think fiona secretly really liked this cd and wanted to give it a high score but knew it'd ruin her street cred so she tried to compromise. :P

this cd suuuuucks.
Fiona Lee
10/14/2007
06:30PM
Location
Garden State, USA
you caught me!

Actually, I hated it at first but I took such a damn long time reviewing this, it pretty much grew on me. I'm still 50/50 becuase the album is 50/50 so the score is half.
GodzillaVsSinatra
11/20/2007
03:46PM
Location
Atlanta
They sucked when they were known as Smugface, they suck now.
ATOMIChaelBOMB
11/29/2007
08:14PM
Age: 31
Location
Claremont, CA
i picked this album up tonight used for $4.99. i can safely say at this point it was well worth the price. i enjoy it...upbeat and melodic. no complaints.
GodzillaVsSinatra
11/29/2007
09:41PM
Location
Atlanta
Elliot used to lipsync when he was in Smugface.
Jose Terrero
12/28/2008
07:03PM
Location
New York
Just took a listen to these guys, I like the way they sound. Quite enjoyable. A hint of Nu-Metal vocals too.



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xRinox
12/29/2008
09:51AM
Age: 31
Location
San Borja, Lima, Perú
suckey, suckey band.
Rick Gebhardt
12/30/2008
05:29AM
Age: 31
Location
Minnesota
When I was swapping some CDs around on my shelf, I noticed I had this album so I put it on again for a listen. If there was ever a band that defined the word "meh", these guys are it!

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