With a band like A Fire Inside (AFI), fans become used to seismic shifts in appearance and musical direction. It's been three years since decemberunderground and the band's widespread exposure influenced a scathing and upbeat set of songs that make up their new record, Crash Love. And, of course, they've brought with them a complete shift in their sound and presentation. Will you love Crash Love?
I've rewritten this review twice already and it's time for me to admit that I can't seem to find a way to write a traditional review of this record while including every song. It's just not possible. So here's what you get instead: a song-by-song thought vomit. Bare with me.
"Torch Song": There's no traditional "opener" to Crash Love, but I'm ok with this as long as it's "Torch Song." Think "...but home is nowhere" meets "Endlessly, She Said." 6/8 timing, an amazing lead over the intro, HUGE chorus with angelic gang vocals singing, "ANYTHING!", and one hell of a mid-break. Lyrically, it's a literal "torch song" (i.e. a sentimental love song form the perspective of one person to another who's oblivious), but seems to tread closer to a commentary on obsessive relationships with celebrities. It's clever and, despite a complete departure from what the band normally sings about, fits right into their catalogue. One of the best songs on the record and their entire career.
"Beautiful Thieves": I'm still not entirely sold on this song. (There's another like this on Crash Love.) It's a strange song and, besides the very loud chorus, nothing sticks out for me like most of the record. Lots of reverb, lots of quiet parts, and a decent breakdown. I generally skip over this track.
"End Transmission": Jesus, this is exactly the kind of song I wanted from decemberunderground. There's nothing like this song in AFI's entire history. Bass-and-drum heavy verses push the momentum of Davey's voice to perhaps the best chorus on the entire record. The guitar tone rules, the bass rules, the drums really help build the energy of this song, and Davey sounds wonderful. It's different and I welcome this new AFI. DANCE PARTY.
"Too Shy To Scream": When I heard the 30 second clip of this song (just the chorus), I thought, "OH HELL NO THIS IS STUPID WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS AFI." Then I heard the rest of the song and immediately regretted doubting this band. This song is ridiculously catchy and upbeat. It opens with a drum shuffle that's a first for drummer Adam Carson, and the entire time is spent bouncing with energy. Glad to hear the band experiment with different rhythms. I approve.
"Veronica Sawyer Smokes": I hated this song the first few times I heard it, but the more I think about it as AFI's version of a Smiths song, the more I think it's kind of amazing. Musically, it's wonderful, especially Jade Puget's warm guitar tone. I'm still a bit iffy on the lyrics, which, unsurprisingly, are about Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder in the movie Heathers) smoking and how it ruined Davey's preconceived notions of her. In theory, it's brilliant, but I'm still not sure about the execution.
"Ok, I Feel Better Now": I'm a sucker for the slow AFI song that builds into a dramatic, sweeping finish. That's this song. Great guitar and bass tone and perfectly matched vocals from Davey. The end of this song is full of a metric shit-ton of the much-missed "whoas" that made me fall in love with this band and were tragically missing from decemberunderground. Also, try not to lose your mind over the awesome riff Jade plays after the first chorus.
"Medicate": I initially heard this in the studio back in February when I went to record backing vocals on "I Am Trying Very Hard To Be Here." At the time, I managed to pull out two song titles to explain to longtime fans what the song sounded like: "Affliction" (decemberunderground) and "A Story At Three." (The Art of Drowning) After listening to this song pretty heavily since the single came out, I'm not so sure about those comparisons, but I understand why I said it. It's upbeat as hell, catchy, features a ton of open-note chords from Jade, and features a huge melodic break that briefly reminded me of "A Story At Three." I think it's the best single from the band since "Girl's Not Grey."
"I Am Trying Very Hard To Be Here": FULL DISCLOSURE: I sing back-up vocals on this track, so if you hate this song, don't blame me. The song sounds so much fuller than the rough track I heard in the studio and I love every second of it. It reminds me of "Miss Murder," but much faster, much better lyrics, and a fucking fantastic breakdown. Get into it.
"Sacrilege": COULD THIS BE THE BEST AFI SONG EVER OH MY GOD I LOVE IT. My favorite lyrics on the record, my favorite riffs, and some of the best vocal melodies. Like most of the record, the lyrics are so straightforward and lack nearly all ambiguity, as AFI fans had come to expect. It's a refreshing change and I back it so hard. Also, this song sounds like The Art of Drowning filtered through Sing The Sorrow. I basically just described the best song in the world, so stop denying it.
"Darling, I Want To Destroy You": And now I'll be a Debbie Downer. This is the only song I don't like on the record. I'm not a fan of heavy vocal processing, and there's some sort of filter on Davey's voice throughout most of the song and I don't like it. At all. It's a mid-tempo rock song that sort of reminds me of the bridge of "Summer Shudder." It's ok, but pretty forgettable for me. Hunter's bass tone is, however, out of this world, so don't give up on it based solely on my whiny review.
"Cold Hands": How this band manages to combine some of the heaviest riffs they've ever written with the catchiest chorus on the record is BEYOND ME. There have to be unicorns in their studio or something. This song is RAD and that's the best way I can describe it. As others have mused on the AFI message board (Ian, I believe?), this song is like a brother to "This Celluloid Dream," especially in the lyrical department. Davey addresses disillusionment with someone once respected and it's pretty brutal. Again, I love this newfound focus and direction. Plus, THOSE RIFFS. A+, WILL LISTEN AGAIN.
"It Was Mine": Not the best album closer they've ever had (because have you SERIOUSLY heard "...but home is nowhere" YEAH THAT'S RIGHT), but a fitting end to a record steeped heavily in scathing sarcasm, social commentary, and outward reflection. It's a song about fatalism, about inaction, about accepting the doom that's about to come. It begins with Jade's slow guitar pluckings and gradually builds to a break with the band singing back up vocals that sound like a church choir. I'd like it more if that section was much longer, but the chorus returns again and you're left wanting more.
Reading the Crash Love Deluxe LP extras last night when the record became available, I realized I had to rewrite everything I'd penned down. The band spent almost all of their time writing this record here in Los Angeles, where I was born and where I've spent the last four and a half years. A lot of people are possibly going to be put off, most of all, by the lyrical content of Crash Love. Gone are the days of references to demons, self hatred, and personal catharsis. By turning their view outward, the band have found a new sense of purpose and determination. It's an LA record, through and through and I've found myself able to strangely relate to most of the songs on the record.
Perhaps some context will help. AFI have most certainly grown in popularity over the years and, because of this, have been exposed to avenues in the entertainment world they may never have been a part of. Living here in LA (and a couple of those years in the heart of Hollywood), it's hard to ignore the culture present here, from the class wars to the self-involved army of plastic "people" to the businesses with capitalism in their hearts. Crash Love, to me, is a reflection on all of these things (and more) and, ultimately, a rejection of this world. It reads precisely like a band growing up in the East Bay hardcore scene, getting popular, and experiencing the disgust that comes with those who are outsiders to the world of LA.
And I love that out of this, they've created a wonderful piece of music to respond to it.
There's a whole lot of experimentation on Crash Love, but, unlike decemberundergound, this doesn't feel like an experimental record. It sounds like an intentional and confident album from a group of guys who knew exactly what they wanted to say and how they wanted to say it. The record, therefore, has far more cohesion than their previous effort, despite being just as varied.
It's not a punk record by any means and surely it will be met with legions of kids crying about how much the band is ignoring their roots, but, to me, this sounds exactly like an AFI record: passionate, energetic, and melodic. The vocal melodies are top notch; the gang vocals are a welcome return; and the focus on pushing the instrumentation to the forefront makes me really happy. This is a guitar, bass, and drum-heavy album and, I can safely say, it really makes this band shine.
