Sleeping With Sirens – Let’s Cheers To This
Record Label: Rise Records
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Only being around for two years, Sleeping With Sirens have come quite a long way in such a short time. Their 2010 debut record, With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear, received mixed comments and criticism. Some felt Kellin Quinn’s outrageously high-pitched vocals were too much, while others felt he had a great set of pipes. For me, as much as I tried, I simply couldn’t tolerate Sleeping With Sirens at all in 2010, thus falling into the former category by along shot.
However, just a year later, Sleeping With Sirens have made immense progress leading up to their sophomore record, Let’s Cheers To This. The main progression is Quinn’s controlled vocal style, as the high notes aren’t quite as high – thankfully – and the low screams are more structured than ever, another added bonus. The result of this growth is a record of progression, yet again, you either love their sound or hate it – there is hardly an in between here. That said, Let’s Cheers To This will surely garner more fans than it will lose, as it’s much more appealing than the previous effort.
Evident from the addicting “Do It Now Remember It Later,” Sleeping With Sirens have really expanded their boundaries this time around, separating them from a lot of the other Rise artists of similar styles. The catchy chorus on the opener proves the direction this time around to suit the band appropriately. However, the stale “If You Can’t Hang” is a mediocre follow-up due to its hackneyed lyrics, although Quinn again performs well. The slow-paced “Who Are You Now” features the soon to be fan favorite line, “So I will try to be perfect / but I won’t try to be fake,” although it is otherwise another insipid track.
Thankfully, the destructive “Four Corners and Two Sides” picks up the pace on Let’s Cheers To This, as the balance of heavy and light vocals blends wonderfully on this bipolar number, making it the first true highlight of the record. Quinn’s vocal power prevails throughout the soaring “Fire,” as his elevated vocals carry what is arguably the strongest track on the record. Although it’s been pretty mellow up to this point, that is not to say that Let’s Cheers To This doesn’t pack a few punches here in there, with the raucous “Tally It Up, Settle The Score” is driven by Jack Fowler and Jesse Lawson’s rapturous guitar play backed by Gabe Barham’s thick drumming.
Still, the intricate tracks are the truly memorable tracks. Most notably, the penultimate “All My Heart” is a standout romantic ballad, something previously unheard from Sleeping With Sirens. Likewise, the final title track is a summary of every element on the record, proving the band saved the best for last on this truly stunning end to the record. As the record comes to a close, it’s fully evident that 2011 will be a truly breakout year for Sleeping With Sirens, as it’s nearly impossible not to notice their progression in just over a year.
Hate this band and record. Every time I've had the unfortunate chance of seeing them live, the only people who cheered for them were fat girls in too-tight clothes and guys with braces.
'All My Heart' is the only track I skip - can't stand the song, so boring.
Also surprised 'A Trophy Father's Trophy Son' didn't get a mention - that track is killer despite some weak lyrics.
Vocals are great throughout the record though - big improvement over the debut.
I don't think someone who doesn't like the band should do a review. The notes Kellin hits are incredible for a mans full voice. I can't believe someone would complain about that. Also you should do a little more research on the band before saying "All My Heart" is the first romantic ballad SWS has released. Besides the whole acoustic album they released, crawling with slow songs, the fourth track on the previous album, "Let Love Bleed Red" is a very personal piece as well. I haven't had a chance to fully listen to the album enough to diagnose it with my thoughts yet, but from what I've heard, I do like. All incredibly talented musicians, which for me, makes them stand out over other bands.
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