AFI - AFI (The Blood Album) (January 20, 2017) Album • Page 10

this album is sex

 

I was excited to see this had leaked but hadn't seen much talk of it and the talk I did see seemed more down on it than lauding. Hoping to get to this today and feel it out for myself.

 

I was trying to reserve my judgement on the production, but I did notice the drums were lacking any sort of punch. It's so muddy that the drum fills get lost in there.

 

Never understand the dislike for Crash? For someone who's a fan since Black Sails it's above both DU and Burials for me.

Only listened to this once so far. I was intrigued to see response from AFI fans new and old alike on this one. First reaction was that it's a bit bland.....but maybe over the years my tastes are changing.

I'll never, EVER, go into a "no longer punk" debate cos they've delivered so much quality for years and will always be one of my favourite bands. Will see how it grows

 

Is the lyric really "they're barking in the wrong key" cause that's what I hear every time in "Aurelia" and that can't be right. And now I hope you all hear it too.

 

Always thought the same thing.

 

I actually think that's what it is because I've never been able to hear anything else. I even tried seeing if there was a lyric video for that exact reason.

 

hey miss murder can i!!!

 

Yes, yes it is. They released all the lyrics back in November and that's what it is lol.

 

Oof.

I have been secretly hoping that wasn't it. Painful.

 

And you sing alooooong!

It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't repeat that line 18 times throughout the song.

 

love this album

 

Haha, it definitely gets stuck in my head.

 

Let me explain so you are less confused:

-I think Crash Love is wildly inconsistent, too long, and too slick.
-Before The Blood Album's leak, I thought Crash Love was AFI's weakest album.
-After listening to The Blood Album's leak, I think it's worse than Crash Love.
-The Blood Album has no sense of cohesion, unexciting arrangements, and poor lyrics. Perhaps worst of all, AFI doesn't know how to commit to an overall vision of what they want to be in 2016/2017. Should they go back to their punk roots (So Beneath You)? Make radio-friendly modern rock (Get Hurt)? Pretend to be goth-Morrissey (Aurelia)? Write for the True Blood Soundtrack (The Wind That Carries Me Away)? While there is variety, everything comes across tepid and safe on this LP because there is no sense of direction.
-By contrast, the diversity present on Burials still operated within an expansive (and at times punishing) aesthetic rooted in stadium rock (thank you Gil Norton and your engineers). Burials experimented with post-punk elements, electronics, and at times metal/hard rock to accentuate strong/lean melodies. As a result, the variety on that LP was 1) executed better because the songs were more focused overall and 2) the songs shared enough aesthetic qualities to function as a part of the larger project. The songs on The Blood Album are not pushed to any measurable extreme, nor to they share much commonality in terms of atmosphere. I think this lack of direction harms the overall effort, making the LP seem underdeveloped and uninspired.
-I am glad you think Crash Love is great.

Less confused? Super.

 

I liked some of Crash Love a lot. They were at their poppiest on that record so they were a little catchier than they were in the past, but some of the songs seemed to miss the mark (particularly the closer and that song that says "Flash! Flash! Car crash!") I did love "Cold Hands", "End Transmission", and "Torch Song". The whole record had more prominent lead guitar melodies, as well.

This one seems to be missing the things that I liked from every other AFI record. The cohesiveness and aggression of Sing the Sorrow, the production of decemberunderground, the hooks of Crash Love and the diversity of Burials all give those albums some individuality, but I've yet to figure out what makes this one unique. All those traits are absent...but maybe it'll grow on me.

 

"Veronica Sawyer Smokes" was an awesome song. That and "17 Crimes" are probably the only post-STS songs that I really like

 

This is my favorite thing theyve done since sts

 

Wow, high praise. I'm more interested now

 

im almost certain ill be in the minority, but yeah its pretty fantastic. this is coming from someone that loves CL, Burials, and DU as well so take that as you will.

 

I remain really excited to hear this. I don't think they'll ever top DU for me but as long as they're putting something out I'll look forward to it.

 

Those are probably my three favorites over the limited time I've been listening to them, actually.

 

I like DU better but after a few plays I like this way more than burials and CL. it's a grower because I had mixed feelings at first, but this album is a fun listen once you start to get to know the songs

 

Long time AFI fan here. I've found reasons to love all of their albums for one reason or another. Each album sort of ties me back to a memorable point in my life so I'm sure this album will serve the same purpose.

This album certainly has a weird flow. I agree that maybe a different arrangement would have helped it. To me, there are only a few duds that I will probably end up skipping. But there's way more to love here than to hate.

Still a Stranger, Aurelia, Hidden Knives, So Beneath You, White Offerings - these are all incredible tracks to me and I can't wait to see them live and learn them on my guitar. There are definitely a few that I can't remember even after 5 plays of the album.

I agree that the production is lackluster. Maybe a better rip will sound better when the album actually releases in Jan.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it and I can't wait to get to know the album better and find all of the little nuances that AFI put into all of their songs.

 

only afi album ive listened to a lot is burials, which i still like a good bit. ill have to check this out later

 

I love DU and Burials and I'm like 50/50 on CL and I agree that there's more to love than hate here. Also agree it sounds muddy and it's not their most cohesive record