AFI - Decemberunderground

A Fire Inside: sellouts, emos, abandoned their punk roots, don't make any good music anymore, rely far too much on eyeliner.

That's what everyone says about AFI today. Their new album is crap, but no one who says that has actually listened to it. Oh, yes, they've heard Miss Murder…but who hasn’t? Well, if you're willing to have an open mind, you might just see how good this album really is.

Prelude 12/21 starts this record off softly, with delicately whispered lyrics and what sounds like bells in the background. Davey Havok's voice is perfectly suited to the role it plays, both soft and screaming. The lyrics are slightly repetitive but brilliant.

Now, anyone who's seen the director's cut of the Miss Murder video will expect the poppy single to come next. They'll be surprised, then, when the first harsh notes of Kill Caustic are heard. It does start out very harsh, and loud, with a lot of screaming. Some of the rest of the song is different, but it occasionally goes back to the screaming. This is probably the second most varied song on the album, showcasing Davey whispering and screaming, only a minute or two apart.

Miss Murder is next, for real this time. The poppy-est song on album stands out a mile, almost not fitting in with the darker mood set by Kill Caustic and Prelude 12/21. It's saved from being an outcast, however, by the quick transition from soft singing to harsh screaming near the end of the song. All in all, it's a decent song, but has been slightly over-hyped.

Summer Shudder starts off softly, and continues in that basic vein. It is one song that doesn't have any screaming in it, only pure singing. That's a rarity for AFI in general, especially on Decemberunderground. This song is chock full of oddities, because unlike most of the songs, you can figure out most of the lyrics on the first listen; lyrics that are an under-appreciated genius. Look them up some time, see how many you can relate to.

The Interview seems to follow Summer Shudder's lead in soft beginnings, leading into catchy choruses. Both of the songs are candidates to get stuck in your head fairly easily. Be careful, they're hard to get out, for the lyrics stick, too. Possible Biblical references (repeatedly referring to David and his challenge) are intertwined with unexpectedly loving phrases ("Here's my lullaby; hush, now, don't you cry"). A minute left, the song seems to start anew. Hardcore fans will recognize this as the start of the long version of Love Like Winter, for which the video has all but disappeared. It may sound haunting, but there's nothing to worry about; it's just another part of AFI's complexities.

The next single, Love Like Winter, is not quite as poppy as the first one, but is still a faster beat than most of the album. It's better, in my opinion, with the last minute of The Interview added on the beginning. It offsets the beat and hints to the meaning of the song. AFI doesn't like talking about meanings, but they've said that Love Like Winter and its video represent the hopeless prospect of love.

Affliction is a strange song, to say the least. Just like Miss Murder, it's on the verge of not fitting with the rest of the album. But unlike the single, this one is more harsh and louder than the others. There is significantly more screaming than in other songs, and the lyrics are rather depressing. ("Lover, I am loveless. Were you holding hands when my palms bleed? Oh, I will be all right. Just use me, just use me. The future's bright without me") However, about two minutes into the song, it gets softer and stays that way for about a minute. For the last two minutes of the song, it's no singing, barely any music. For a part of it, you can hear what sounds like a phone call, but only if you listen closely.

The Missing Frame is poppy enough to be Miss Murder's cousin, but there's not much lyrical resemblance. Though this song's are slightly confusing, they are more plainspoken than Miss Murder's. There are no obtuse metaphors, and barely any comparison. This song's lyrics are also less repetitive than the single's.

Kiss and Control brings a change from the last upbeat song. It's one of the darker songs on the album. The lyrics are extremely hard to understand, but if you look them up, chances are you won't forget them. A minute left, the song launches into a spoken poem, then back into the song.

And again into the poppy side of AFI with The Killing Lights, but this time we don't abandon the dark side at all. The lyrics speak of bad relationships ("Am I beautiful? Am I useable?") and one night stands ("Five AM on the bathroom floor, from the night before, do you find me dreadful?"). The chorus is more upbeat than the verses, but it just lends more biting sarcasm to the lyrics ("It's killing time again, put on your face and let's pretend, these killing lights won't kill us all again"). This song's lyrics are what keep it from being another standard pop-punk song, and they do a very good job.

37MM is very similar to some of the songs on AFI's side project, Blaqk Audio. It's tending toward electronic, though there are obviously still organic instruments. The style Davey Havok sings in lends an even darker note to the song, even though it doesn't need help on its own. The end of the song is more of a chant, with a creepy feel. ("We are no one. We are no one. We are one. We are no one, we are." )

The last 'official' song on the record, Endlessly, She Said, is probably the slowest song. Its lyrics speak of leaving and are in typical AFI style. If you can understand them, they also bring up questions of what endlessly really means. A little past halfway through the song, they get a chorus effect by layering Davey's voice. There is a break with a bit of screaming, but it quickly degrades to whispering.

Though it is not on the actual CD, On The Arrow is one of my favorites. It comes with the iTunes version of the album, but nowhere else. It's a very, very good song, and I cannot imagine why they didn't include it on Decemberunderground. The lyrics are easy to understand and easy to relate to. They're a little vague, in keeping with most of AFI. But it's by far the best b-side song I've heard.

The album Decemberunderground is probably very different from what you expected it to be. It's not quite as the single portray it to be, and I hope you like it. I sure do.