"Had the band sometimes known as A Fire Inside not raised the bar impossibly high with that 2003 breakthrough, Crash Love wouldn’t seem half the let-down it does. After all, the playing is accomplished enough for the most advanced of Guitar Hero disciples, the songs barbed with some truly killer hooks, and the vibe underground enough for the emover crowd but accessible enough for rock-radio listeners.
What’s missing is the sense of epic grandeur that, six years ago, made AFI look like it was going to be the most important band of the early 21st century. Once you’ve dragged disaffected Gregorian monks, dark-mass orchestras, and black-robed choirs to the midnight-garden party, a good old-fashioned guitar-rock album comes off as a tad anticlimatic. AFI is capable of more than songs that tend to sound like they belong on Now That’s What I Call Emo 2009!. The Ukiah, California–based group doesn’t show that here."
Dayum son! Well there are tons of old fans whom claim that Sing The Sorrow was a "sell out" record, so when the words "AFI" and "Sell Out" appear, it always makes me roll my eyes. So many bands have been called sell outs when they join a major label or their sound becomes more catchy or accessible. Most of the time it always comes off as ignorance on their part, much like calling this record an emo album or calling AFI an emo band.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kevin. The fans aren't going to be swayed by these reviews(especially when a few of these bad reviews are from colleges). I'm going to start taking you advice Mary and not read them when you warn me not to! Total nonsense!
ReplyDeleteHilarious. All reviews bash Davey and praise Jade.
ReplyDeleteI don't care for what most of these reviews say because most of them are not by professional critics or people who have been fans that know all of the music AFI has put out.
ReplyDelete^That's kinda funny.I definitely think that the second review was funny as hell, especially this paragraph: "It's hard not to question the band's decision to make love - specifically, failed love - its predominant theme. While it drives the album's musical direction fairly well, it also gives the otherwise ridiculously talented lyricist Havok an excuse to write cliché, topic-specific lyrics like "I'd tear out my eyes for you, my dear" or "Here's my favorite part, where you beg for my heart and I disappear." Sorry, when did AFI become My Chemical Romance?"
ReplyDeleteThose reviews both sucked. I highly doubt that they listened to the album more than once. Every album sounds different. This one is obviously way different from something like SYMAOYO. They're not "sell-outs". You're not a sell-out until either A) You do what you do only for the fans and not yourself and hate the music you write or B) You do a duet with Miley Cyrus/The Jonas Brothers. I found this album to be incredible, and I could still find traces of the older albums in it. For example, I was listening to Sacrilege earlier and totally forgot that it was from Crash Love. If it was a little bit heavier, I think it could've been straight off of AOD. There's nothing wrong with a little change, and sometimes an album takes time to really grow on you. These reviewers are morons.
ReplyDeletethe art of afido we even want people to understand?
ReplyDeleteI think the first review was about right. Crash Love was a disappointment, but it was an expected one. There are a few gems, but when you get down to it, the songwriting just sounds lazy/lacking in development.
ReplyDeleteI am sooooooooo friggin' tired of the words "sell out." Every time a band changes their style or, God forbid, becomes successful, everyone screams sell out. It's annoying. If AFI wants to changes their style they are allowed to do so. I've been a fan for nearly 10 years and have heard their style change and evolve a lot since 2000 and I do not consider them sell outs in the least bit.
ReplyDeleteI don't like either of the reviews I don't think that they know what AFI was going for they only saw the diffrence between Sing the Sorrow and Crash Love
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