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intereact!A.F.I.
Retail Price (not our price): $13.98
Release Date: 2003-03-11
Manufacturer: Dreamworks
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...
| Disc 1 |
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Amazon.com
Starting life as the most competent Misfits tribute band to not actually play Misfits songs, San Francisco Bay Area punks A.F.I. have not only discovered how to write their own snarling melodies, but have developed the confidence to play them without a cloak. Sing the Sorrow marks the band's first major-label release and the difference from their indie albums is in the details: songs freely shift gears and tempos, singer Davey Havoc flexes his pristine vocal abilities by breaking into the occasional falsetto, and sugary tracks like "The Leaving Song" and "The Great Disappointment" now take a place next to more standard nuclear-charged mosh-pit fare like "Bleed Black" and "Dancing Through Sunday." Longtime fans might take it like a kick to the head, but this band is clearly moving toward bigger things. --Aidin Vaziri
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
1) AFI Owns! [Rating: 5 out of 5]
The greatest AFI album ever with hit songs like Silver and Cold, The Great Disappointment, and This Time Imperfect.2) "There are no flowers, no not this time." [Rating: 4 out of 5]
AFI has been around for a while. I haven't heard anything they made before this album, but apparently it was different enough to alienate a lot of fans. In any case, I like it. They make quite capable pop punk with catchy choruses, a high voiced vocalist, and pretty normal guitars. It's not exceptional, but it's solid. Why I really like them is the bombast. Just the tone of the album is a little mightier and significant-seeming than most other stuff in the genre, starting with the opening song's war-cry esque vocals. They do a good combination of the singer's lone voice and several people shouting in unison, and it has the same feel as a general leading his troops into battle.It could have been front loaded, with all of the singles in the first half, but it maintains quality throughout. The songs do kind of blend together as it goes on, but it's catchy enough that it's hard to care too much. It ends strongly, with the second to last track (which is oddly the first part of the two-part song that ends on the second track), which is a nice softer song, before the epic finale "...But Home Is Nowhere". It has one of the better anthems in it, than after it ends, there's a short silence before a sequence of voices progressing in age tell a creepy story backed up by a minimal piano tune. It then finishes with a stripped-down, well performed capper of a hidden track. Sing the Sorrow is a pretty good punk album helped out by elements that go deeper than the music.3) Maturity in the Misery [Rating: 5 out of 5]
With their rather bold major label debut AFI surprisingly submerged themselves in oceans of dense production and studio polish; ambitiously expanding their sound into the wierd darkly romantic horizon merely hinted at in their previous outings. Yet with all of the overdubs and electronic effects, the band doesn't get lost in the murk as they perform with the same firey intensity that them such an outstanding punk band. The detailed, well thought out album flirts with both mainstream pop and edgy punk with an adult intelligence and adventerous attitude not regularly found in either genre. Each of the songs are distinctive and unique with the band seemingly introducing a new trick with each track; making for a very exciting, unpredictble listen that never sacrifices the overall mood. Guitarist Puget often slows the tempo into aggressive but steady marches of what could only be described as anthetmic melancholy, his warm riffs and atmospheric melodies absent of blazing heroics but no less memorable and distinctive. His work more or less providing a dense backdrop for the band's emotional center, vocalist Davey Havok. Evolving into one of the best and most unique song writers around, Davey's poetic lyrics are mysterious, romantic, and heavy on gothic imagery without falling into cheesy cliche. His distinctive vocal melodies are often at the forefront as he plays off backing chants and vocals as well as his own different personas to create memorable sing a longs. Though not blessed with the strongest of voices, his frail nasal wail is convincly vunerable and at times even deeply moving, his emotional belts are full of fire without tough guy posing, and his spaciously used low breathy singing voice is sincere and seductive. Though the subject matter is dark and crypic, the words are sung in such a way that they not only feel deeply important but strangely upfliting. The gloomy but upbeat anthems "Leaving Song II" and "Silver and Cold" are superb introductions to the band's unique blend of autumn day atmosphere, pop appeal, and rousing punk energy. The big mainstream single "Girls Not Grey" and "Bleed Black" would almost be catchy pop punk if it wasn't for the mature restraint of the performances, smooth dynamics, and the incredibly dense haunting sound. The experimental "Death of Seasons" not only features what may be the band's first venture into hardcore of the metal kind, but dance music and string arrangements. The beautiful lyrics of "This Celluloid Dream" climaxes the album with a triumphant stuttering gallop that isn't easy to get out of one's head. The hidden track that follows "..But Home is Nowhere" is the band at there most experimental and successful. Spoken word poetry/storytelling, light piano and heavy studio effects gradually shimmer away to unveil the band's most naked and revealing ballad. Davey gives the best vocal performance of his career as he quietly croons with convincing regret in his low full voice. The song gradually soars to a powerful climatic high before fading away into a droning sea of what sounds like backwards violin/guitar loops. This is the band at the height of the their huge potential and hopefully not the peak of their powers.4) A good CD, but its just not AFI. [Rating: 4 out of 5]
This is a good CD, many great songs that are dark and mysterious in their own cool little ways. AFI after Shut your mouth and open your eyes became much more serious. If you listen to Decemberunderground and than to Answer that. You couldnt really tell any similarities between the two. Not even Havok's voice sounds the same. But whatever it works.5) Masterpiece [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I really cannot put into words just how great this album is. All of the songs are deep and meaningful with great instrumentation and lyrics. The singing and back-up singing is amazing as well. I have heard all of AFI's other albums, and they were amazing, too. Although their other albums are great, none of them can hold a candle to the classics here.Miseria Cantare-Starts the album off with haunting and dark tones and chanting.The Leaving Song Part II.-Picks up the pace and adds great guitar sounds.Bleed Black-Another great guitar song with great back-up vocals.Silver and Cold-An album favorite, this song with amazing lyrics and vocals.Dancing Through Sunday-Great guitar solo and vocals.Girl's Not Grey-Very catchy singing and nice drums.Death of Seasons-Amazing bass intro, a lot of good screaming.The Great Disappointment-Best guitar on the album, good drumming, amazing vocals.Paper Airplanes (Makeshift Wings)-Very catchy guitar riffs, unique sounding.This Celluloid Dream-Amazing harmony between all the instuments and vocals, some of the best lyrics.The Leaving Song-A ballad, and it fits right in. Vocalist sings while only the guitar plays, very powerful....But Home Is Nowhere-Great high vocals, interesting chanting and screaming, agian great harmony between band members.Spoken Word Poem-I skip this sometimes, because sometimes I'm not in the right mood to hear it, but I still appreciate it for its beauty.This Time Imperfect-The deepest song with powerful lyrics with great vocal and instrumental value.I have listened to this album for a solid 3 years, and don't plan on stopping any time soon, as it's my favorite album. It really is an amazing CD with great variety and no weak points. All of these songs belong with classics like God Called in Sick Today and The Days of the Phoenix. This is basically a Greatest Hits Album.