Yes, I know. We all like the old stuff better. AFI was great when they were a hardcore punk band. Then they had to go and release Sing the Sorrow and alienate half of their air-punching, skateboarding fans.

Or wait. Was it decemberunderground? Yeah, that’s it! Anyone that was into the electronic-tinged pop punk thing left in disgust at the first sign of a rockabilly-influenced goth pop album. The early fans lost all hope for a return to form and those that discovered them on corporate rock radio didn’t really get more of what they liked on the previous album.

So is it really a surprise that AFI’s next move would be the most boring album that ever existed? Yeah, probably not.

Crash Love is not hardcore or pop punk or goth or even electronic. It’s rock, in the broad sense that it’s got drums, guitars and a vocalist. But that’s about it. Boring, hookless pop rock. Looking back, perhaps decemberunderground was AFI jumping the shark before dropping back into obscurity. At least it was halfway interesting.

You can occasionally hear them trying to cop some of the dark Sing the Sorrow emotion that the Hot Topic crowd fell for, but then it resolves back into simple drums, ignorable guitar lines and Davey Havoc squawking baseless lyrics. It’s not hard on the ears so much (though “Darling, I Want to Destroy You” comes pretty close), but if you came across one of these songs on the radio you wouldn’t stick around to see what happens next.

So that’s that. Let’s all crack a cold one, put on Art of Drowning, talk about the good old days and wonder aloud if it’s better to burn out or to fade away.

5 Responses to “AFI – Crash Love”

1. On 09/29/09 8:13 AM, pat said:

   

   Ouch! A bit harsh, doncha think? Listen again, especially TORCH SONG and BREATHING TOWERS TO HEAVEN. Not hardcore anymore, but not “hookless” or “baseless” and definitely not boring!

2. On 10/1/09 5:27 PM, Kada said:

   

   This was such a useless opinion.

3. On 10/2/09 6:10 PM, Sergio Hernandez said:

   

   Art of Drowning?

   I’d rather put the needle on Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes.

4. On 10/2/09 6:19 PM, Derek said:

   

   I love harsh reviews. Well done.

5. On 10/6/09 10:45 AM, Chris said:

   

   I actually enjoyed Sing the Sorrow and Decemberunderground, but I agree that Crash Love is pretty boring and practically unlistenable.

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