AFI - AFI (The Blood Album) (January 20, 2017) Album • Page 17

I really like the aggressiveness of the chorus in his vocals

 

Gosh, thanks for the responses. I guess I just don't get it because it's one of only two songs that I skip every time and one of the only ones to not grow on me even a little bit.

 

Last track is the other one you skip I'm guessing? That's an awful song in my opinion

 

Haha yeah I have NO idea what they were thinking with that one. I can't stand it

 

It'd be easier to list the ones I don't skip: Still A Stranger, Get Hurt, So Beneath You, Pink Eyes, She Speaks the Language. The rest ranges from just ok, bland to bad. I have no idea how people think this is better than CL

 

Oof this album is like, definitely a significant step up from CL. Like the flow sucks but there are more solid songs on here - not including the CL deluxe edition that had some of their best material.

It's really interesting how polarizing this album is.

 

I get I'm in the minority for CL, but I don't know how songs like Torch Song, End Transmission, Victoria, I Feel Better Now and It Was Mine doesn't trump anything on TBA.

 

I, for example, think Veronica Sawyer Smokes is one of the absolute worst songs they've ever written and I can't stand to listen to it. So I guess we just have different tastes :) (I will agree with you that Torch Song is incredible, but at least for me She Speaks the Language trumps it)

 

Hard to argue because She Speaks is awesome. I think AFI is an acquired taste anyway because of their style and Davey's voice, so I'm just glad enough people like them to keep them touring and making music.

 

"veronica sawyer smokes" is an incredible song, if only the rest of crash love had that kind of quality hook

blood album considerably worse than crash love imo

 

But it dooooeeessssssss

I also agree with everything else you said.

 

This album bums me out. Loved the singles they put out prior to release, but I feel like they're leaps and bounds above almost everything else on here. Outside of those, the only songs I feel like I actually like are maybe Above the Bridge (save for the lyrics), Feed From the Floor, and She Speaks the Language. The production just mucks it all up for me and all of the aggression and energy (what little of it there is) feels forced. I hate to say this, because I really do love this band, but almost all of the songs on this feel like filler. Amateur-ish in some aspects. Maybe I'll feel differently after more listens, but as of now Burials is a much better album and I feel like the early hints that made this seem like a call-back to STS-era were just plain wrong.

 

I love Crash Love still. I'd definitely take it over Blood Album which I do still enjoy a majority of

 

I'm surprised this sold so well despite how early it leaked. I wonder if they had released Still A Stranger or Pink Eyes as a single if it would have done any better.

 

Don't remember if I've said it in here or not but I've realized my enjoyment of their albums follows a bell curve, where they get better with each album until they peak with Sing the Sorrow, and then get worse every album after

 

Interesting that The Wind That Carries Me Away is so unanimously hated in this thread, I heard people in the line for my show citing it as a favorite. I like it but it's not a favorite.

Above the Bridge though...even as a big Cure/80s new wave aficionado who loves those guitars and synths, that is such a weak song. I think it might actually be the worst chorus Davey has ever written.

 

With this band, it's almost like I view them as three separate pieces. Before, during, and after Sing the Sorrow all feel like different eras to me with Sing the Sorrow being the peak, like you said (I guess the earliest albums sound a bit different, but still)

What tells me I'm not alone in this is that whenever we were doing our album rankings earlier in this thread, people were pretty much discounting anything pre-Sing the Sorrow as if it were a different band.

 

I'd say Black Sails and Art of Drowning definitely shouldn't be discounted if we're doing that to some of their albums, those two are fantastic, especially AoD. Might even go as far as to say that's their second best album

 

I wish I liked the rest of the album as much as I like Still A Stranger

 

Black Sails, The Art of Drowning, Sing The Sorrow, and DU are peak AFI. Those albums are near-solid front to back. Sing The Sorrow definitely takes the crown, though.

On the other hand, Crash Love, Burials, and The Blood Album are this weird, outlier trilogy of albums that vary a bit in quality.

I can't really speak for older AFI..

 

I was surprised how much I liked this record. Some interesting sounds, some weaker tracks, but overall I was more engaged listening to this than their past few albums. Also, She Speaks the Language is always in my head.

 

They played "Feed From the Floor" and played "The Great Disappointment" too. These tour set lists are great! Surprises every night. I remember when I saw them on the Sing the Sorrow tour I was upset they didn't play "The Great Disappointment" I always thought that'd be great live. Dare I say it was a ....great disappointment. Sorry, I'll see myself out

 

Gonna have to dig up a video of feed from the floor, that's become my favorite off the album.

 

I've returned to this album more than After The Party. This is my favorite album so far this year of the 5 albums I've listened to. It was an overcast day today and this album fit perfect. Dark Snow gets my pumped. This album was def a grower. I knew I loved it on the 3rd listen.

(1 - AFI. 2 - Menzingers. 3 - Code Orange. 4 - Japandroids. 5 - Andrew McMahon)

 

My favorite record still this year, and I've listened to those other 4 as well. Absolutely a grower