AFI - Decemberunderground

In the tradition (or perhaps lack thereof) of their previous album, AFI’s newest album is drastically different than their previous ones. Way the hell different than “Sing the Sorrow” anyways. Overall the album is a much more upbeat collection, with perhaps a bit more of their punk roots showing. However, there is still quite a bit of electronic sounds (keys and drums and such) placed over it, giving some songs a similar sound than their previous album, but not the same feel. The lyrics are, for the most part, still rather bleak, just the happier side of bleak (one line being “The future’s bright without me” see? The future’s bright...).

So do I like this album more than “Sing the Sorrow”? So far, no. However, that very fact makes me like it more. They had lots of acclaim and success with that album, so they really easily could have made an album that sounded like that, but instead chose to try something new, which is very refreshing. Having said that, there are some really great songs on here. The opening track, Prelude 12/21 does a very good job of setting up the album, with some elements in it that I never would have expected (chanty with hand-claps? Wha?); the album’s single, Miss Murder which I didn’t really enjoy the first time I heard it is quickly growing on me; Love Like Winter and The Missing Frame could very easily have been written and recorded in the 80s (which actually is a great sound through most of the album); 37mm has some really great vocal harmonies, which is really a great strength of AFI. I can easily see this album becoming a regular favorite, as I’m now just listening to it for the second time through, and I like each song more than the first time.