Review Summary: At the end of the day one can only feel very proud of AFI's second album.
The 90’s, a period many look at with both praise and disdain. The decade that saw the rise of hip-hop into the mainstream, pop-punk become a legitimate genre and a group of 4 young men from Ukiah, California formed what would years later become one of mainstream punk’s biggest bands. But things were different in 1996.
Fans of the newer AFI records will more than likely be shocked by the sound found on this album. No synths, no layered guitar parts and a lack of self-depreciating lyrics are the most noticeable changes. Less noticeable is the absence of current guitarist Jade Puget and bassist Hunter Burgan which ironically is responsible for the major differences in style and sound.
The most accurate description of the band’s sound on this album would fall somewhere between Misfits style punk and Bay-Area hardcore, the album is full of typical punk sounds, the simplistic guitar work, the prominent bass and drums and the out of tune harshly performed vocals and yet whilst many would see some of these as criteria for a band who is unbalanced it really comes together into a superb sound.
Davey Havok mans the microphone belting out angst-filled, slightly whiny lyrics ranging from the life story of a goldfish in its bowl to the angry, anthem “He Who Laughs Last” featuring Havok describing a relationship lacking in trust. Generally the vocal performance is impressive, he doesn’t have perfect range and his technique is somewhat poor but the end result is suiting to the music and enjoyable. Notably the band’s backing vocals are provided by future band mate Jade Puget and Tiger Army front man Nick 13.
Similarly the instrumental performance is lo-fi in presentation and may come off slightly abrasive. The guitar work never really goes beyond basic chord progressions and the drumming is relatively lacking in complexity, although he is still quite enjoyable. Geoff Kresge provides a rather impressive bass performance that outshines his modern counterpart Hunter Burgan quite easily. Mark Stopholese may not be the most innovative or exciting guitarist and he pales in comparison to Puget but his performance suits the album quite well staying in his comfort zone.
At 20 songs in length the album may seem somewhat long but with most songs having an average length of 2 minutes the album rounds out to an enjoyable 40 minute punk-a-thon. In terms of overall sound there isn’t a great deal of variance between songs with the majority of the focus being place on Havok’s vocals which provide enough variety to differentiate the songs from each other. Havok is rather driving throughout reminding us of a time when punk was focused far more on energy and enthusiasm instead of haircuts and makeup.
Aside from the slight similarity between songs, Havok’s at times scratchy vocals and the somewhat basic production, there really is an overall lack of downsides to this album. The angsty lyrics and lack of technical prowess may disappoint some but if that’s enough to defer you from listening then you’re in the wrong genre. At the end of the day Very Proud of Ya is a catchy, fun and powerful dose of mid-90’s hardcore suitable for any fan of the genre.
