Released: Sep 29, 2009
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Interscope Records
Number Of Tracks: 12
Two years in the making, Crash Love delivers both infectious melodies and a polished studio sound.
Crash LoveFeatured review by: UG Team, on september 30, 2009 6 of 7 people found this review helpful
Sound: Two years in the making, AFI’s latest record Crash Love has been labeled as more of a “rock record” from the band members themselves. Although a true statement for the most part, calling Crash Love merely a harder-edged rock record doesn’t even broach on the best qualities of the material. In contrast to the previous record Decemberunderground, which placed a great deal of focus on creating an ambient mood, Crash Love is chock full of catchy, hummable tracks in a traditional sense – most of which could land on the Billboard charts if they were all released as singles. Making an equally big impact is the immaculately polished sound, which this time around was shaped by producers Joe McGrath and Jacknife Lee.
There are inevitable comparisons to bands that pop up while listening to Crash Love, but it never becomes overly distracting. Yes, “Too Shy To Scream” features a chugging rhythm and guitar line similar to Marilyn Manson’s “Beautiful People” and “Veronica Sawyer Smokes” channels a poppier version of The Cure, but you come away listening never thinking it was a blatant rip-off. Crash Love certainly hearkens back to a sound more akin to something you’d hear in the 80’s or even 90’s in some cases, but it’s actually a compliment that AFI does not sound exactly like every artist on the scene today.
The opening track “Torch Song” grabs you immediately with the verse’s moody, Perfect Circle-ish guitar sound and the larger-than-life chorus that begs for a sing-along. Big, roaring choruses abound on Crash Love, and with the impressive studio quality, those peak moments bring the material to the next level. AFI wisely chose “Medicate” as their first single, and it’s easy to understand why. Featuring a highly memorable, majestic guitar intro and a feast of shouted “heys,” it is easily one of the biggest standout tracks on Crash Love.
The band has a few offerings like “Sacrilege” that don’t match the quality of “Medicate” or “Torch Song,” but the slow/mundane moments are far and few between. There is a cohesive feel to all of the songs in any case, and AFI strategically placed “It Was Mine” as the epic closer. Although more sedate in terms of its tempo, “It Was Mine” is a beautifully constructed number that features an amazing backing vocal line in the final moments. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Emotions rule supreme on Crash Love, but the passionate melodies lend themselves to the themes. A track like “Medicate” might not be the most interesting among the bunch (“Could I? Could I just find a way? I find you every day; And we could alter time”), but there is a good deal of passion injected into most of the tracks that brings the lyrical content to life. If you tend to place bands who sing about emotions/feelings in the “emo” category (and you consider that a negative connotation), however, you’ll probably want to steer clear of this particular album. // 8
Impression: AFI has a loyal group of devotees, and with an album like Crash Love those passions are validated in full. Decemberunderground had a somewhat darker feel and was intriguing in its own way, but in terms of memorable, emotionally-driven material that will connect with a vast audience, Crash Love is a standout. From the impressive guitar tones (“Torch Song,” “OK I Feel Better Now”) to the instantly recognizable chorus melodies (“I Am Trying Very Hard To Be Here”), the 2-year effort put into Crash Love was a successful venture. // 9
Crash Love
Reviewed by:
caucasian_ninja, on september 30, 2009 10 of 11 people found this review helpful
Sound: Let me just start by saying that I've followed AFI since the Art of Drowning was released. I own all of their albums and most of their rare tracks and b-sides, so I wanted to give their newest effort a fair review. I looked forward to the release of this album with a sort of nervous anticipation; if it got any worst than 2006's Decemberundergroud, I decided that I may not have it in me to continue to purchase the band's music, however much I love their older body of work. Fortunately, this album rekindled my belief in AFI. And while I still feel that 2003's Sing the Sorrow was, and probably always will be, the band's highest creative point, Crash Love comes close, and, with a little open-mindedness on the listener's part, should not disappoint.
As usual, the band's sound has changed dramatically. We've seen them develop from an 18-year-old, angst-filled punk band, to an almost synth-pop sound (in some aspects at least). Every album has been completely different, with 1999's Black Sails in the Sunset and 2000's The Art of Drowning arguably being the most similar in style.
Surprisingly, this album drops almost every electronic aspect that the band had delved into before, presumably because key songwriters Davey Havok and Jade Puget scratched their electronic itch with their Blaqk Audio side project. Crash Love has a much more apparent sound to it, going back to the basics of the bands' instruments and using electronic elements in only a few places (such as the intro to Cold Hands, or the synthesized vocal portion of Darling, I Want to Destroy You). All instruments are ever-present, and all instrumental parts can be clearly heard in the mix throughout the album (something I found to not hold on Sing the Sorrow; Hunter Burgan's bass parts were almost inaudible at times). The album has a more radio-friendly vibe to it, and could even be considered poppy, but is still very clearly AFI.
Musically, this album sees the whole instrumental section of the band outdoing its prior work. The band's rhythm section is very strong this time around. Hunter's bass parts are interesting and very tight, and Adam Carson's drumming is the driving force of the mix, pushing the album along at a steady pace. Carson pulls heavily from his punk roots, especially on tracks like Sacrilege, but spices his beats with subtle fills and technical trickiness that shows the listener from the start that this is a more complex and technically savvy drummer than before.
Despite the band's rhythm section doing a very impressive job with this release, I feel that Jade Puget is the real shining star of the musical mix. This album finds him delving just a little bit more into the world of guitar effects; we see him using a little more delay, his reverb has become a little more lush, and there's even a small taste of wah in the end of I Am Trying Very Hard to Be Here. Jade supplies us with original, intelligent riffs (like the sporadic guitar intro of Torch Song, the gorgeous, harmonic-aided intro to Beautiful Thieves, or the main riff of End Transmission, one of Puget's best to date), and his rhythm parts are solid, but never boring. He even samples us with a little more of his technical skill with this release, presenting not one, but TWO guitar solos, during the tracks Medicate and Sacrilege.
We see the band's possible influences exposed a little bit more on this record, with some tracks showing a slight 80's sound, but only in the best way possible. Parts of the guitar work on Veronica Sawyer Smokes remind me personally of the Smiths'Johnny Marr, and the production of the track Ok, I Feel Better Now nods at U2.
The one song that I have problems with musically is Too Shy to Scream. I find this track weak both lyrically and musically, and I get the impression that the band just kind of threw it together in the attempt to create something a little more upbeat. It has a little bit of a rockabilly sound to it, while sounding poppy and a little bit indie at the same time, and though I understand what the band may have been trying to do, I think the album would have benefited from the track's absence.
I also find there to be a lack of epic sounding bridges in the songs on Crash Love. Medicate's bridge is probably as close as the album gets. Not necessarily too much of a setback, but something an AFI fan looks for.
The music of Crash Love is technical, layered, and never dull, and despite some minor criticism, I honestly feel like this is the best instrumental work that the band has produced thus far. It is both beautiful and tactful, and is quite simply the best feature of this album.
In terms of production value, I reserve judgment until I listen to the album on a CD format. I've only streamed it on the band's Myspace, which may or may not be a lower quality than the hard-copy release format will be. I will say that it sounds pretty good so far. And though I feel that Decemberunderground was the weakest release by the band, I also feel that it had the clearest, most well produced sound of their releases, or of most releases I'd ever heard from any band. I can expect the hard copy of Crash Love will be of a similar caliber. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Unfortunately, this category is where my qualms with Crash Love lie. While I usually enjoy Davey Havok's lyrical musings, they seem a little recycled this time around. The lyrics are penned most similarly to those of the Blaqk Audio Cex Cells album, which means that they're a little less abstract than AFI albums have been in the past. This could be seen as either a strength or a weakness. Die hard fans of the band's older work (STS and before) all seem to love the completely metaphoric, abstract lyrical ideas that were so prominent in the music before (which are also a major criticism of AFI haters). They allowed you to interpret your own meaning, and also (in my opinion) saved the band from being pigeonholed into the genre of 'emo.' Their lyrics were always dark and rather serious, but with them being so abstract, they could be about anything, which I believed deterred people from damning the band into a set genre. Decemberunderground found Davey's writing to be a little more literal, and Cex Cells was even more so. The pattern holds true, as Crash Love is more literal than ever. This may make it a little bit more accessible to the casual listener who may not know what to make of words like 'amaranth', but I find them to be a little bit too straightforward at times, making the songs almost corny in some spots. I find Medicate, the album's first single to be slightly so, as well as parts of End Transmission (though End Transmission's lyrics are very good overall). For instance, in the bridge there's a part where Davey says, "And you said 'stay strong'" and it just kind of makes me cringe because it reminds me of Prince or something, and just comes off as kind of corny for AFI to do. Also, some of the rhyming is a little bit predictable, like in the bridge of Medicate: "Can you tell me how it feels? Can we pretend this is real?" It just sounds so cliche and typical of the genre. And the song Too Sh to Scream's lyrics and basically make it a throwaway track in my opinion.
I guess the sad truth is that, as much as I hate it, most of AFI's fans now are probably the Hot Topic mall goth types who don't have any problems with 'dark' lyrics that are straight forward, even at the risk of them sounding so literal that it's corny. Well I do have a problem with it, and I would even go as far as saying that I would feel a little bit embarrassed to be listening to some of the lyrics around people.
Another problem that I have with the lyrics is Davey's tenancy to recycle certain words or phrases. He says the word 'die', or more specifically 'I die' about twenty times on the album, for instance. He also sings "Wear your best, we'll surely make the cover" during one song, which just reminds me a little too much of the Blaqk Audio song Cities of Night ("We'll shine this time; we'll make headlines"). I realize that that is picky criticism, but for somebody who really pays attention to lyrics, recycling like that grates on me and really kills a songs potential likability.
Aside from my criticism, the lyrics are certainly not all bad. They run consistently with the continuing theme of modern love, from the good times to the bad times. Crash Love could be seen in a way as a loosely based concept album. Many of them are dark, such as End Transmission or Torch Song, but there are also some that hold a sort of innocent charm to them, such as Veronica Sawyer Smokes, presumably about a crush Davey developed on Winona Ryder's character in the 80's film 'Heathers.' Fans of the band's more hardcore work will enjoy the track Sacrilege, which embodies the same kind of bratty-sung punk/hardcore pessimism that the band shared with us on albums like 1997's Shut Your Mouth and Open Your eyes.
Another thing that slightly bothers me (and I hate to say this because it's so much of why I love the band) is Davey's voice throughout the record. He's just a little bit too whiny and nasally sounding for my liking, and I think that it detracts from feel of the album as a whole. Another noticeable change is the absence of any screaming on Davey's part. I would consider this a welcome change personally, as I don't care for screaming and kind of just tolerated it before, but now with it gone, I realize how much of a dynamic it offered the band before. As it stands now, the lead vocal parts on Crash Love are a little bit mundane and unspectacular, with the exception of some interesting harmonies, such as the one in the bridge of Beautiful Thieves. The vocals lack a dynamic point that was present in their earlier albums.
On a positive note, there's plenty of big, cult-like, AFI choruses that I'm sure all the fans of their older work will appreciate. There's also some 'whoas' thrown in there and the STS spirit of Davey has arisen anew with some 'Oh!'s thrown in as well. This isn't necessarily a saving grace musically, but anyone who's followed the band and likes their older albums unconditionally will surely appreciate these factors.
Though I have some major problems with the lyrics and lyrical structure on Crash Love, I would still consider the album's lyrics to be more good than bad, and the album certainly provides fans with some new gems in the AFI body of work, such as Torch Song, Beautiful Thieves, End Transmission, Ok, I Feel Better Now, Veronica Sawyer Smokes, and Darling, I Want to Destroy You. // 6
Impression: One final criticism that I will bestow upon the album is that it lacks the intro and ending that we as fans are used to. Torch Song is great, but it's not necessarily a show opener in the way that Miseria Cantare, Strength Through Wounding, or Prelude 12/21 were/are. And It Was Mine is a very solid track as well, with a beautiful chorus to it, but it lacks that epic feel that closing tracks like Morningstar, This Time Imperfect, or even Endlessly, She Said all shared. This criticism is not necessarily that serious, but from the perspective of AFI fans, it's something that we've come to expect from album to album.
Though the lyrics have taken a very different feel from before, this is still very clearly the AFI you fell in love with originally. The sense of theatrics, the grandiose, cult-like choruses, and the general feel of this album let you recognize immediately who it is you're listening to. Generally, it's a great album with beautifully constructed music, a romantic feel, and just a couple of lyrical setbacks. But most importantly, it's something that AFI fans of old will feel at home with... despite the cover looking like a custom hood ornament on a Cadillac. // 8
Crash Love
Reviewed by:
Gallifrey337, on september 20, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: After the more experimental December underground, AFI have decided to go for a straight out rock record, after main writer Jade Puget had been writing for an electronic side project, he said it felt good to just write some rock. The sound is very much that, at times punk-y (I Am Trying Very Hard To Be Here), at times more Alt-Rock (End Transmission) and at times pure beauty (Okay, I Feel Better Now). Although the album can feel a bit monotonous, there is enough variation to appreciate each of the songs and it feels a lot more complete than December underground. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: As always, AFI's lyrics are top notch. Singer Davey Havok has penned some beautiful lyrics in the past, even back in their hardcore punk days. Although lead single 'Medicate' has lyrics comparable to a general pop song, which may have turned fans off, this album is no short of their well-known lyrics.
Lyrically, the songs that stand out are Torch Song, Okay I Feel Better Now, Sacrilege and It Was Mine. Torch Song and Okay, I Feel Better Now pull out words of deep devotion (I'd tear out my eyes for you my dear) to self denial famous in earlier works like "This Time Imperfect" (There is nothing to me).
Sacrilege is one of the more aggressive songs on the album, attacking one of Havok's greatest hates, organized religion. I myself am an atheist, so I love this song, but rather than metaphorically attacking it (like in previous songs The Prayer Position and The Great Disappointment), Sacrilege just digs straight into it, and is one of the songs on this album you don't need to go far to comprehend. It Was Mine is something different. Many songs get acclaimed for great lyrics, simply because you have no idea what they mean. This song is like that, but myself, and many of those on song meanings.com, have noticed a connection between this, and one of my favorite books ever, George Orwell's 1984. This is obviously a song referencing the concept of Crash Love, a sort of Bonnie and Clyde story, of two rebels in love. This tells the story of their failure and death, and musically, has one of the greatest choruses AFI have ever pulled off, and is a perfect finishing track // 9
Impression: Overall, this is a great improvement from December underground, but does not even touch Sing The Sorrow. The concept of it is good, the lyrics metaphorical, and contains what is now my second favorite song of all time, Okay, I Feel Better Now. But it does continue their pattern of changing with each release, gradually getting more pop-rock-ish, which does beg the question of what will their next release be like, which is hopefully due late 2012. // 8
Crash Love
Reviewed by:
askingforit176, on october 21, 2009 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: At first listen, or even the first few, this album seems really bland generic rock. Soon you find yourself enclosed in the majestic beauty the is Crash Love. Crash Love is unlike anything AFI has ever don't before but the same at the same time. The dark angry lyrics are as plentiful as ever but much more straight forward than weve heard in years from them (think almost Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes) mainly about modern day culture or from what they are saying the lack of. The pulseing riffs and clean melodys of Jade Pugets guitar are there as well as Hunter Burgans elegant bass lines and Adam carsons percise drums. The biggest difference by far is front man Davey Havok. // 7
Lyrics and Singing: As I had touched upon earlier the lyrics are as gloomy as ever but stripped down considerably from 2006's Decemberunderground and almost wouldn't be reconized as the same lyricist behind 2003's Sing The Sorrow 2000's Art of Drowning and 1999's Black Sails on the Sunset. Gone are the days of "Chrysanthemums of white", talks of the Amaranth or songs named after diseases. Enter lyrics such as "Flash, Flash, Car Crash, we're no fixtures" and "The Broken Radio Was Playing Suicide". With that being said the lyrics are fitting with the scratched gold album cover with a big flamboyant heart on it. Not all is lost there are a few songs that here are written in the traditional AFI style (Torch Song and Sacrilege).
Davey Havok's vocal performance never reaches the high standered he set himself on Sing The Sorrow but FAR surpasses Decemberunderground's performance, I can't stress the FAR enough.
Alot of Decemberunderground was a cross between a whine, over nasilly and a generic scream, Crash Love's is very powerful sounding no whines, but also no yells or generic screams. // 6
Impression: For the first 4:25 mins. Of the album (Torch Song) you'll almost for get that decemberunderground ever existed and that this may be a b-side from Sing The Sorrow an absolutely stunning song, great opening guitar solo, best song on the album. Beautiful Thieves in my opinion is a decent song but doesn't carry the momentum at all is seems out of place. End Transmission sounds like a newer Days Of The Phoenix. Too Shy To Scream is a poppier number but opens with a good catchy riff. Veronica Sawyer Smokes is the best song the Alkaline Trio never wrote.
Okay, I Feel Better Now wouldn't be misplaced on Green Day's last album but strangely nor would it have been on Sing The Sorrow. It's one of the best on the album. Medicate is the lead single packs a bit of a punch an interesting bridge the sounds more fitting on a 69 Eyes track and a great solo.
I Am Trying Very Hard To Be Here opens with a raunchy guitar riff and a great verse. Chorus (backed by members of the Despair Faction) is a tremendous let down, I had mentioned the lyrics before. It seems Mr. Havok was trying very hard to be (lol no pun intended) fitting to the album and completely ruined a great song.
Sacrilege is an instant classic very Punky wouldnt be out of place on The Art Of Drowning and is my opinion the second best song on the album. Darling, I Want to Destroy You, I hated for the longest time. It should of been the album closer. it has a "big" feel to it during the choruses. Cold Hands great song heavyish verses catchy chorus.
It Was Mine not a particularly great song. Bridge could of saved it but the Queenish backing vocals ruin it. A weak, weak album closer from AFI, Probably the weakest... Ever.
The album has a whole is far superior to decemberunderground but as a band with such a strong past it can't hold a candle at anything of their's from 1997-2003. Simple as that. Production was great (as expected from a major label band) but not over produced. If it were lost I would deffently buy it again. Like I said its a very solid album some major downs but in all great music.
Check out: Torch Song End Transmission Veronica Sawyer Smokes Medicate Sacrilege Cold Hands // 9
caucasian ninja: very nice review. I think you did a nice job of providing your thoughts on the new AFI release and your ability to place in the context of the bands entire body of work is very helpful. Not a big fan of the band, but you did a very nice job. Keep it up.
Getting this album today. AFI was one of the first bands I ever listened to. Sing the Sorrow is one of the best records I've ever heard, and Decemberunderground was quite good as well. Good reviews, although the second is pretty damn long. :P
great reviews, especially the second one! ive listened to them since sing the sorrow and its still my favourite after listening to there old work and even decemberunderground (which wasnt that bad in my opinion). I'm enjoying this album at the moment but i dont know long it will last, it definitly sounds better in high quality compared to the myspace ones but what can i say, it seems to lack where afi hold the strongest which that guy already said. As an album its pretty strong and every time i listen to it i start it from the start (although torch song has about 15 seconds of quiet which can get annoying) you get over it and its good. I'm not so sure that medicate was the best choice for the single (i would have preferred beautiful thieves) but thats just because its my favourite off the album.... long enough comment i think
dont know if i should even bother with this. last album was a massive disappointment with songs like miss murder. they just base the songs around 4 easy guitar chords and thats it for the records now. love like winter i did enjoy but the album nah.
sing for sorrow is an epic creative album. i love it to date with the first opening track just sounds massive and gives me the chills listening to it. but i downloaded medicate and there's not much i can say about it and i know a lot of other people are dissapointed to.
Am I the only person who liked decemberunderground? Kill Caustic and Summer Shudder were awesome tracks.
im not bagging out the album but like you must like sing for sorrow better. like i said i did like love like winter. but i dont know i was bummed about about the creativity on that album. il give this new one a listen though cause i do like afi
Am I the only person who liked decemberunderground? Kill Caustic and Summer Shudder were awesome tracks. im not bagging out the album but like you must like sing for sorrow better. like i said i did like love like winter. but i dont know i was bummed about about the creativity on that album. il give this new one a listen though cause i do like afi
First sentence, 2x like. Second sentence, 3x like.
On topic, I'm not that fond of this album, but I was of the last two... This one just misses something extra.
dont know if i should even bother with this. last album was a massive disappointment with songs like miss murder. they just base the songs around 4 easy guitar chords and thats it for the records now. love like winter i did enjoy but the album nah.
sing for sorrow is an epic creative album. i love it to date with the first opening track just sounds massive and gives me the chills listening to it. but i downloaded medicate and there's not much i can say about it and i know a lot of other people are dissapointed to.
You know, I really think you should bother with this album, especially if Sing the Sorrow was your favorite. I can't exactly explain how, but this album does kind of have the same sort of feel as that one, though it definitely has its differences as well. I would still recommend you pick it up though.
I'm not sure how i feel about Crash Love yet. I have had one listen so far. My immediate response is I like Decemberunderground better, but then again I didn't like Decemberunderground until about the third listen. No album by AFI has struck me like Sing The Sorrow. That will album with stay with me forever much like Nirvana's Nevermind and In Utero do.
Crash Love seems like a step in a direction. I don't know if it's the right direction. All I know is if they can play the songs live that'll be great. I watched AFI butcher Decemberunderground songs on SNL and usually bands sound pretty decent on there.
I miss hearing the misfits influence, the "whoa oh"s
and Davey lacks aggression and inspiration in the vocals I think, don't get me wrong, the songs are still very sing along able, but they are just not as memorable.
Maybe with a few more listens I'll come to appreciate it more.
It's not for everyone, but as a bigger fan of Sing the Sorrow vs Decemberunderground, I was very pleased with how the record turned out.
The lyrics were lacking at some points, not as intense as in Sing the Sorrow, but overall the musical quality of the album was fantastic. This'll be on repeat for a while. Like Decemberunderground, though, this took a listen or two to fully appreciate.
Well...i just thought id throw this out there that AFI copied one of their own songs on this album! Notice the frightening resemblance of "Miss Murder" and "I'm Trying Really Hard to Be Here"...
Well...i just thought id throw this out there that AFI copied one of their own songs on this album! Notice the frightening resemblance of "Miss Murder" and "I'm Trying Really Hard to Be Here"...
Not at all, the only similarity is that both have a swung rhythm.
first off, i want to say this was the most thorough and well thought out review i have read on UG. and second of all i would like to comment on the continuing quality of AFI. I think unlike many bands they always deliver a solid album. they have come a long way from their punk days, still keeping the catchy choruses, but refining their sound further. One compliment i can only give to a handful of bands is the replay value of AFI. I can go back to songs like, "if god called in sick today" and enjoy it just as much as the first time i heard it. This being said, i had a lot of expectations, but Davy and crew delievered once again. Back to the topic of Crash love, I'd say End transmission is probably my favorite track. Im a hardcore AFI fan and highly recommend this album
first off, i want to say this was the most thorough and well thought out review i have read on UG. and second of all i would like to comment on the continuing quality of AFI. I think unlike many bands they always deliver a solid album. they have come a long way from their punk days, still keeping the catchy choruses, but refining their sound further. One compliment i can only give to a handful of bands is the replay value of AFI. I can go back to songs like, "if god called in sick today" and enjoy it just as much as the first time i heard it. This being said, i had a lot of expectations, but Davy and crew delievered once again. Back to the topic of Crash love, I'd say End transmission is probably my favorite track. Im a hardcore AFI fan and highly recommend this album.
Personally, I have a great distaste for this album. An yes, I do really like AFI and listened to this album 3 times all the way through. It just seems to drag on and, the lyrics seem lacking. I'll give it one more listen although I always thought third time was the charm.. I give it 5 outa 10 because its not utterly horrible but its not in their best interest for Davey to keep saying this is the album to be remembered by.
slc5196 wrote:
Im a hardcore AFI fan and highly recommend this album
AFI's my favorite band and this is possibly the worst CD I've ever heard in my life. I give it a 1/10, cuz Torch Song is pretty good, haven't opened up that powerful since Miseria, but then it just dies.
If you actually want to buy a CD today I'd suggest the new Alice In Chains or Dethklok!
Hmm... I'll probably buy this album, just cause AFI was one of the first bands I ever listened to and liked, but man. Am I the only one that misses albums like Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Eyes, Black Sails in the Sunset, All Hallow's EP, and The Art of Drowning? I mean, Sing the Sorrow is good and all, but those albums were the AFI I got into.
A.F.I. is my favorite band and to be honest I hate this album. I liked Torch Song which gave me high hopees for this album but afterwards, only a few songs actually left good feelings in my mind. The sound is so far away from the original sound in all the wrong ways. I see nothing wrong with a band changing its sound but this is too poppy and no punk whcih in this bands case is not a positive. The lyrics of the album are severely lacking in terms of intelligence and Danny's vocal work is a mild irritant within the songs. I will say that on a few songs Jade has some sic riffage going on though. Not a total waste of an album, but it's a flop for sure. Only buy if you are a serious A.F.I. fan wanting to collect all the albums or whatever, otherwise it's not entirely worth picking up. For me this band has definitely changed from the great thing that was A Fire Inside of me, to just being afi. It's sad really.
i really wish they'd do some more songs or even an entire album like "Very Proud of Ya" i loved that album and in my opinion, their best. most people when talking about afi bring up sorrow, which was a good record, but i listen to punk, so the earlier hardcore punk afi days were my favorite. venturing more towards rock wouldn't be my choice, but i suppose they're doing it well building a very large fan base (but that's not really what it's about)
i'm getting the album later and hope i like it. from the reviews, i probably will.
Geez. The discussions here make me feel old. I still remember when AFI played punk. And they were actually good at it. Now all the kids are longing for the glory days of "Sing the Sorrow."
To be honest, I really haven't been too into much they've done since "Art of Drowning," but whatever they're doing, I'm glad to see they're still around.
Geez. The discussions here make me feel old. I still remember when AFI played punk. And they were actually good at it. Now all the kids are longing for the glory days of "Sing the Sorrow."
To be honest, I really haven't been too into much they've done since "Art of Drowning," but whatever they're doing, I'm glad to see they're still around.
i really wish they'd do some more songs or even an entire album like "Very Proud of Ya" i loved that album and in my opinion, their best.
I mean, that's certainly a valid wish, but I really don't think you could ever actually expect them to go back to that sound, and while you may like it, don't you think it would be digressing musically? I mean "I don't wanna **** you, so **** you..?" The band is in their early thirties now, do you really think they would still be listening to and playing the same music that they did when they were 18-20?
great review ninja. i don't see why no one likes decemberunderground. I'm a fan of the older music, and i don't see anything wrong with it, although it's not the best. new album sounds ok, but i absolutely LOVE epic music, so idk how much of a drawback that will be. and no screams? (gasp). that's another let down, but change is good.
AFI will always be defined, for me, by Sing The Sorrow. But I also like most of their older stuff, and I really liked Decemberunderground as well. I just bought the new one a few hours ago, and I'm super excited to hear it.
Geez. The discussions here make me feel old. I still remember when AFI played punk. And they were actually good at it. Now all the kids are longing for the glory days of "Sing the Sorrow."
To be honest, I really haven't been too into much they've done since "Art of Drowning," but whatever they're doing, I'm glad to see they're still around.
Pretty much what I said, and may I say, it is well said.
It's an OK CD, I found myself liking the bonus tracks more.
And Jade's playing really does shine here. Now if only he played like that before Davey decided he wanted to get in touch with his feminine side, cause every "Oh!" I hear makes me cringe.
I miss the screams, Davey's voice is amazing but, I love the drive his screaming voice. Personally I believe that his screams always added to the songs in past albums. I also have a nagging problem with the straight forward lyrics. And I must admit, I cringe at some of his word choices, they just seem a bit weak. Overall its a pretty good album but not their best. Of everything they put out since 2000 Sing The Sorrow is still the strongest album to date in my opinion.
The bonus songs are awesome, especially the one from the decemberunderground sessions. Why wasn't that ON decemberunderground??? And the one from the sing the sorrow sessions reminds me a lot of art of drowning and black sails.
That said, first blush... I like the album. Like I said in the interview thread, I need to go listen to it while driving, but Ive enjoyed it so far. However, the reviewer is dead on in the lyric department. Not that I hate the lyrics on crash love, but in comparison to earlier albums, I am disappointed in the lack of poetic muse... Miss the screams as well. I thought decemberunderground had the best variety of vocals on an afi record yet, and this album, vocally, is a digression. He still sounds great in this style, but the soft to scream vocal style adds more dynamic quality to create that "epic" feel that is associated with prior releases.
Great review. But I feel it focused a little too much on the negatives and a little too picky on certain aspects of the record.
I enjoyed it, but agree that the lyrics lacked the poetry of Sing the Sorrow (I believe Davey's lyrical peak)
Let me just revise on what I said in my review about sound quality; I've listened to it from a CD, on a good pair of headphones, and it is AMAZING sound quality. Pristine mixing of all the instrument parts.
I am listening to DU now... and it just has SO much more to offer than Crash Love. Screams, electronic stuff, and the sound of Crash Love. It feels like the dumbed down for Crash love. But, I do enjoy most of the tracks... just some don't stick like all the others on old albums.
I fully agree with what you said about the lyrics. From the first time I heard Medicate, I knew the lyrical quality of this album would be very low. After listening to the whole album, I thought it was garbage because I'm a huge huge fan of AFI from the beginning to Decemberunderground and STS is the best album I've ever heard. Davey does say "die" way too much on this album. I really wish I knew if this was purposeful, if Davey is losing his touch, or if they really did just sell out to the mainstream radio Nickleback listeners who love terrible lyrics and shallow songs.
All I have to say is that I'm weary about ANYTHING AFI puts out. Ever since Sing the Sorrow they have only put out a handful of decent songs(E.g., Girls not Grey; The Great Disappointment; ...But Home is Nowhere; Now the World (original version); and Synaesthesia). Everything else to me sounds so whiny...so unmanly...so...un-Davey Havok. If he wanted to sound softer with his music, he could've sung like he did in "6 to 8". What happened to the energy of Malleus Maleficarum? Narrative of Soul Against Soul? The Weathered Tome? No Poetic Device? (Hell, every song on Black Sails in the Sunset and The Art of Drowning) Totalimmortal? The Boy Who Destroyed the World? Your Name Here? The New Patron Saints and Angels?
Even Billy Joe Armstrong sounds like he's got more balls than Havok. I'll listen to some free samples, but unless I hear the lyrical content and energy found in Black Sails of the Sunset/The Art of Drowning/AFI/Answer That and Stay Fashionable (or even, Answer That and Stay Fashionable), I'm not holding my breath.
If AFI's idea of "Growing Up" is to eschew lyrical content and cry in every song, only to return back to a watered down version of what they were before, then maybe Havok should take the Cobain option and save his already tarnished reputation -- unless he wants to be another Chris Cornell.
The first time I listened to this album, I thought it was one of the worst I had ever listened to.
The second time through though I started to like and now I love it!!! Better than Decemberunderground, but nothing will ever top Sing The Sorrow!
This is a great album, different of course, but it needed to happen. It's a very solid album and every one seems to be bitching about "Flash Flash Car Crash!" It's catchy and fun and it was a song for fans to shout. Some of their earlier work was no different when it came to that feeling. But the most standout tracks to me are "Beautiful Thieves", "Torch Song", "Veronica Sawyer Smokes", and "Darling, I Want To Destroy You". Darling is my favorite, it's so powerful and contains some of Davey's most honest retrospective lyrics about a relationship with somebody that nearly every one can relate to. We've all wanted someone and had to chase them and they treated us like shit along the way, but when thy decide they want us, they have done far too much damage and we want nothing to do with them. It's a great song and the vocal melodies in the chorus are incredible. Veronica Sawyer Smokes reminds me a little of The Smiths or at least someting off of one of Morriessey's solo records, but it has a driving punk vibe to it with a guitar part similar to "1979" by The Smashing Pumpkins. I'll stop there because everyone has said enough about how good Torch Song is. But I loved this album. 8/10
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