This is a review of "Days Of Sleep" recorded by All My Friends Are Dead. The review was written by Colin Burrill in 2006.

Falling somewhere between the orchestrated Icelandic experimental pop sound of Sigur Ros and the dynamics of the post-rock genre sits the Leeds based 5-piece All My Friends Are Dead. The 5-track EP Days Of Sleep is the band’s first unofficial release.

Whilst most post-rock songs can quickly become a tedious affair, All My Friends Are Dead display the rare ability to engage the listener throughout. Rather than just sit on the generic post-rock approach of solely creating huge walls of noise, this band craft beautifully haunting textures with flawlessly detailed arrangements that leave a permanent impression. Another refreshing element is the use of vocals, and in this particular case the lead vocal talents of Nic Burrow have a moving, heart-wrenching quality that suits the rich, melodic and classical instrumentation quite perfectly.

Days Of Sleep is almost faultless, the five songs are all incredibly beautiful, all contributing heavily to an extremely cinematic experience. You can almost feel a sense of warmth beyond the cold, wintry soundscapes.

Despite the strength of this EP, the two songs that really stand out are The Moment Before Everything Falls Apart, which builds with an ever increasingly intensity before giving way to a sharp melody. And Synthia, which is a magnificently icy masterpiece with strings taking the reins.

Unsigned? For now perhaps. But more material such as this should propel All My Friends Are Dead well and truly into the limelight. Stunning.