Monday, Mar. 31, 2014 | 08:51
A.F.I. - Sing The Sorrow
i have a vivid memory of listening to Sing The Sorrow while working a crappy temp job after losing my previous crappy temp job (at the same company--they simply eliminated my previous position and, after a week or two delay, shifted me to another department). the album was new and that sound, screamo or whatever, was in full swing. probably peaking. i was hanging out with people who liked this music, or some of it, and some of that rubbed off on me. i didn't get into Thursday, Thrice, and some others, but i liked The Beautiful Mistake and Finch. in retrospect, i probably should have followed the sound more, pursued Thrice and maybe Thursday instead of those other bands (which turned out to be dead ends).
A.F.I. had a gothic tendency that felt melodramatic at the time. i suppose it still does, but then i thought it was overdone and now i think it's good. i didn't get into, say, My Chemical Romance, and really didn't follow this band beyond this album. in retrospect i wish i had. though i was not impressed while sitting in that bare cubicle, now i think it would have been a fun ride. i think A.F.I. peaked commercially here, but they're still going and most of the rest of those bands have since fizzled.
will i go back and re-explore this band? perhaps. it depends on how their followup sounds. my tastes waver between electronic and rock sounds, and i've yet to pin down exactly what i like. i would do better, probably, to follow specific bands and not try to chase sounds. if i like A.F.I. i should chase them to the end and not wory about what else is in their scene. the same goes for Burial or any other rock or electronica artist. i'll make an exception for classical and jazz because of how many people cross-contribute to those sounds. if i like freddie hubbard i'll want to find albums where he wasn't a leader. that'll carry me through other bands and other musicians i want to explore. i may as well just get the best jazz recordings of the 50s and 60s.
