AFI Is..
Davey Havok- Lead Vocals
Jade Puget- Guitar
Hunter Burgan- Bass
Adam Carson- Drums
Note- I am in no way an expert on punk. Therefore, if I incorrectly reference any punk things, I apologize in advance.
AFI, a band that defines the word metamorphsis in many ways. Before this album, the had released many "hardcore" punk albums, so this must've been a large shock to old AFI fans. As a relativly new AFI fan, I really can't compare or contrast the new to the old, but thats for another time in place.
What was good about the Album:
The energy that AFI shows on most tracks is easily the highlight of this album. The energy changes forms as well, like the raw emotion on Death Of Seasons, to the somewhat epic buildup in ..But Home Is Nowhere. Also, Jade's guitar leads are usually catchy, and fit the music style that AFI wants to play now very well.
Tracks such as Death of Seasons, really display that energy that I mentioned above. Right from the short bass intro, Davey Havoc comes in screaming with great intensity and skill, which really makes the song what it is. He also harmonizes very well later, espically in the chorus. The other strong aspect of Sing The Sorrow is the guitar work, in places. On such tracks as Paper Airplanes (Makeshift Wings), the guitar really suits the song quite well, and contributes to the upbeat, but serious tone of the music. Also, AFI makes good use of acoustic instruments, or clean guitars. One great examples of this is "The Leaving Song", which is quitely one of the better songs on the album with its gentle, but very pretty outro and verse.
Also, AFI are very good at creating an epic-esque atmosphere. This is the most noticable in the opener and closer of the album. The spoken, and then soaring vocals on Miseria Cantare (The Beginning) really make a create a great mood, and set the tone for the album. Also, the two closing tracks, The Leaving Song and ..But Home Is Nowhere flow together very well, and close the album quite well. The Leaving Song is a very nice acoustic ballad, and The Leaving Song is a beast of a track. It starts of slow, then explodes into a multi-instrumental chorus. Then, it takes a suprising turn, into a spoken poem about two young "lovers" I suppose. Now I don't want to ruin the song, but once again, AFI closes the album very well, with another impressive display of talent and emotion.
What was bad about the album:
Considering AFI was once a punk band, it suprises me a bit that the bass isn't at least more prevelent. There aren't any moments that truly stand out in my mind as notable bass work, unlike other contempory punk bands such as Rise Against. Maybe it's my lack of knowledge about the genre, but if the bass was better utilized, the album could've been much, much better. Another downside is Davey's vocals. At times, they can sound childish and whiney. While sometimes, they are appropriate, they can get old very quickly. Also, the singles are the poorest songs on the album. "Girls Not Grey" is easily my least favorite song, just because of its lack of depth and complexity. Maybe thats the reason it was choosen as a single, but, a song like Paper Airplanes would've been more sucessful amonst more musically intelligent people.
Overall:
Sing The Sorrow is a very solid album, but does lose some its inital affect after a few listens. Still, it is a fun listen occassionally, and still pops on on my iTunes playlist every once in a while. However, I'm somewhat dissapointed that AFI didn't build on Sing The Sorrow, and put out a somewaht lackluster new album DECEMBERUNDERGROUND.
Recommended Tracks:
Death Of Seasons
The Leaving Song
..But Home Is Nowhere
-rusty
