So I've taken an interest in AFI

1-up Salesman · 06-13-2011, 12:49 PM

I've been listening to some AFI stuff courtesy of Youtube, and I'm interested in some of their stuff. What album would you suggest I buy?

I like some of their goth-punk/hardcore stuff, and I liked what I've heard of December Underground. I didn't really care for the one song I've heard off of Crash Love.
Help?

Dux is not you · 06-13-2011, 06:10 PM

Well, what's the purpose of buying an album?

EDIT: I ask this seriously

1-up Salesman · 06-13-2011, 09:39 PM

So I can listen to them on my Ipod. I mean, yeah, there's the whole torrent thing, but I rarely use that.

Panfan · 06-13-2011, 10:05 PM

AFI have changed their style a lot, so there's not really a go-to starting point with them. Black Sails in the Sunset and The Art of Drowning are generally considered to be their best albums (also an essential piece of music from that time period: All Hallows EP). Sing the Sorrow is how to properly do a mainstream punk album right. Their earlier albums are also pretty good, though I haven't listened to them in forever so I might just be saying that with nostalgia goggles on. Crash Love was decent, but it's not nearly as good as their other stuff. Decemberunderground is just... ugh.

1-up Salesman · 06-13-2011, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWAG.

Decemberunderground is just... ugh.

Seriously? Miss Murder was fantastic.

Panfan · 06-13-2011, 10:32 PM

A good single does not always mean that the album will be good at all. Look at post-Pinkerton Weezer. Each album had at least one really strong single ("Island in the Sun" for Green Album, "Dope Nose" for Maladroit, "Perfect Situation" for Make Believe, "Pork and Beans" for Red Album, and "If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)" for Raditude) and the albums all range to absolutely terrible (Raditude) to "meh" (The Green Album). I excluded their latest album, Hurley, from the list because it was actually a good album.

It goes to show that a good single doesn't mean the album will be good. "Miss Murder" is a good song (though it doesn't come close to being as good as "Girl's Not Grey", "This Celluloid Dream", "Silver and Cold", "The Leaving Song", or, well, anything off of Sing the Sorrow.) but the entire album is just really forgettable as a whole and overall not very good. I mean, it's not some stupid reason because they went for a more mainstream sound on this album than on previous albums. Sing the Sorrow was a helluva lot more mainstream sounding than anything they'd done before that, and it's my personal favorite of all their albums. I just really didn't like the new, more synthesizer-heavy sound that they went for on this album.

1-up Salesman · 06-13-2011, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWAG.

A good single does not always mean that the album will be good at all. Look at post-Pinkerton Weezer. Each album had at least one really strong single ("Island in the Sun" for Green Album, "Dope Nose" for Maladroit, "Perfect Situation" for Make Believe, "Pork and Beans" for Red Album, and "If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)" for Raditude) and the albums all range to absolutely terrible (Raditude) to "meh" (The Green Album). I excluded their latest album, Hurley, from the list because it was actually a good album.

It goes to show that a good single doesn't mean the album will be good. "Miss Murder" is a good song (though it doesn't come close to being as good as "Girl's Not Grey", "This Celluloid Dream", "Silver and Cold", "The Leaving Song", or, well, anything off of Sing the Sorrow.) but the entire album is just really forgettable as a whole and overall not very good. I mean, it's not some stupid reason because they went for a more mainstream sound on this album than on previous albums. Sing the Sorrow was a helluva lot more mainstream sounding than anything they'd done before that, and it's my personal favorite of all their albums. I just really didn't like the new, more synthesizer-heavy sound that they went for on this album.

I liked some of the electronic elements, like what they used in "Love Like Winter" and I liked how "Kill Caustic" has post-hardcore vocals, but yeah, some of it is pretty forgettable.

And I know what you mean- it took me a while to appreciate MCR's new stuff. Usually most bands are at their best in their earlier years.

***Cosmonautical*** · 06-14-2011, 01:25 AM

Their post-Art of Drowning stuff ran out of steam, it just sounds tired IMO. Stuff like Miss Murder comes out and it's catchy, but it's got no nails to dig in if you take my drift. I like a lot of the varieties in direction of Decemberunderground, but I don't like the screamcore influence. The intro had the best potential of any songs on that album, but it doesn't go anywhere.

My favorite of their work was on All Hallow's EP.

Click to view video.

Dux is not you · 06-14-2011, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1-up Salesman

So I can listen to them on my Ipod. I mean, yeah, there's the whole torrent thing, but I rarely use that.

Well, what's wrong with picking the songs you like the most and finding the album that has the most of them?

I would agree with getting Sing the Sorrow, anyway. It has the only songs from them that I actually like.

Also, don't use torrents. That's piracy.

06-13-2011, 12:49 PM	#1
1-up Salesman Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Letting you guys know that I'm planning on continuing Attack of the Spammers soon. Gender: Posts: 4,095 Thanks: 2,162 Thanked 250 Times in 194 Posts Blog Entries: 9	So I've taken an interest in AFI I've been listening to some AFI stuff courtesy of Youtube, and I'm interested in some of their stuff. What album would you suggest I buy? I like some of their goth-punk/hardcore stuff, and I liked what I've heard of December Underground. I didn't really care for the one song I've heard off of Crash Love. Help? Last edited by 1-up Salesman; 06-13-2011 at 10:15 PM.

06-13-2011, 06:10 PM	#2
Dux is not you Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Not Columbia Gender: Posts: 1,976 Thanks: 92 Thanked 113 Times in 74 Posts Blog Entries: 1	Well, what's the purpose of buying an album? EDIT: I ask this seriously

06-13-2011, 09:39 PM	#3
1-up Salesman Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Letting you guys know that I'm planning on continuing Attack of the Spammers soon. Gender: Posts: 4,095 Thanks: 2,162 Thanked 250 Times in 194 Posts Blog Entries: 9	So I can listen to them on my Ipod. I mean, yeah, there's the whole torrent thing, but I rarely use that.

06-13-2011, 10:05 PM	#4
Panfan AND HE PRAYS Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grayskull Gender: Posts: 18,806 Thanks: 1,405 Thanked 2,247 Times in 1,337 Posts Blog Entries: 15	AFI have changed their style a lot, so there's not really a go-to starting point with them. Black Sails in the Sunset and The Art of Drowning are generally considered to be their best albums (also an essential piece of music from that time period: All Hallows EP). Sing the Sorrow is how to properly do a mainstream punk album right. Their earlier albums are also pretty good, though I haven't listened to them in forever so I might just be saying that with nostalgia goggles on. Crash Love was decent, but it's not nearly as good as their other stuff. Decemberunderground is just... ugh.

06-13-2011, 10:32 PM	#6
Panfan AND HE PRAYS Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grayskull Gender: Posts: 18,806 Thanks: 1,405 Thanked 2,247 Times in 1,337 Posts Blog Entries: 15	A good single does not always mean that the album will be good at all. Look at post-Pinkerton Weezer. Each album had at least one really strong single ("Island in the Sun" for Green Album, "Dope Nose" for Maladroit, "Perfect Situation" for Make Believe, "Pork and Beans" for Red Album, and "If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)" for Raditude) and the albums all range to absolutely terrible (Raditude) to "meh" (The Green Album). I excluded their latest album, Hurley, from the list because it was actually a good album. It goes to show that a good single doesn't mean the album will be good. "Miss Murder" is a good song (though it doesn't come close to being as good as "Girl's Not Grey", "This Celluloid Dream", "Silver and Cold", "The Leaving Song", or, well, anything off of Sing the Sorrow.) but the entire album is just really forgettable as a whole and overall not very good. I mean, it's not some stupid reason because they went for a more mainstream sound on this album than on previous albums. Sing the Sorrow was a helluva lot more mainstream sounding than anything they'd done before that, and it's my personal favorite of all their albums. I just really didn't like the new, more synthesizer-heavy sound that they went for on this album.