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Decemberunderground

 
Album Review: Decemberunderground
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Decemberunderground

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  • Artist: AFI
  • Rating: StarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: June 06, 2006
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

AFI is a band lucky to own fiercely loyal fans who embrace -- and ultimately expect -- the gradual transformation the band has undergone with each album since 1999's Black Sails in the Sunset. Where many bands get called out for signing to a major label or even just maturing their sound over time, AFI fans have chiefly stayed devoted to their ever-evolving goth-punk heroes. With that in mind, Decemberunderground comes as AFI's follow-up to their ambitious major-label smash Sing the Sorrow. Due to the clever production tricks employed on that album, fans might expect even more intricate arrangements, sound effects, and sonic landscapes to emerge from the wintry packaging of Decemberunderground. To an extent this is true, but it's more that the cloudy gloom permeating their career thus far has lifted, allowing a relatively tighter and lighter overall album to emerge. Take the band's traditional prelude for instance: this time it's infused with stirring strings and an uplifting dance-pop beat that is a far cry from the dark and eerie call-to-arms chants of previous albums. And though "Kill Caustic" (and later "Affliction") brings AFI's earlier hardcore punch, if you thought "Girl's Not Grey" was poppy, check out this record's lead single, "Miss Murder." Despite a slightly ominous undertone, the glam-tinged song is damn near playful and sunny amid bouncy rhythms, vaguely industrial beats, background "hey!"s (courtesy of AFI's fan brotherhood, the Despair Faction), and a bassline that could have been swiped from Green Day. The band further dips its hand into new wave exploits ("37mm"), truly stirring choruses ("Summer Shudder"), stark electro vibrations ("Love Like Winter"), and the customary ballad ("Endlessly, She Said"). AFI even comes as close as they probably ever will to sounding like U2 in "The Missing Frame." Somehow, the guys have managed to combine hardcore instincts with dark emo-coated lyrics, synth shimmies, gothic aesthetics, and electronic beats into a sound that still remains wholly AFI. So maybe that's why fans have stuck by the band over all these years. Even as the guys stretch and flex their songwriting muscles, they never fail to remember where they came from, instead using their past work as the foundation to their essential growth. Decemberunderground may have more fully realized doses of pop and electronic music present, but the core of AFI's sound never strays too far from what listeners have grown to love about them in the first place. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Prelude 12/21 (Lyrics) AFI AFI (1:34)
Kill Caustic (Lyrics) AFI AFI (2:39)
Miss Murder (Lyrics) AFI AFI (3:26)
Summer Shudder (Lyrics) AFI AFI (3:06)
The Interview AFI AFI (4:16)
Love Like Winter (Lyrics) AFI AFI (2:45)
Affliction (Lyrics) AFI AFI (5:28)
The Missing Frame AFI AFI (4:40)
Kiss and Control (Lyrics) AFI AFI (4:18)
The Killing Lights AFI AFI (4:04)
37mm (Lyrics) AFI AFI (3:55)
Endlessly, She Said (Lyrics) AFI AFI (4:26)

Credits

Eric Weaver (Assistant Engineer), Mike Fasano (Drum Technician), Ronan Harris (Programming), Ryan Downey (Vocals (Background)), Jade Puget (Keyboards), Griselda Gomez (Vocals (Background)), Ted Jensen (Mastering), Jerry Finn (Producer), Keith Armstrong (Assistant Engineer), Luke Wood (Vocals (Background)), Jade Puget (Group Member), Brandan Schieppati (Vocals (Background)), Gavin Rattmann (Vocals (Background)), Jade Puget (Programming), Sonia Dubon (Vocals (Background)), Ed Alexander (A&R), Chris Lord-Alge (Mixing), Joe McGrath (Vocals (Background)), Davey Havok (Group Member), Jason Gossman (Assistant Engineer), Talia Nissimyan (Vocals (Background)), Seth Waldmann (Assistant Engineer), Jerry Finn (Vocals (Background)), Diana Miranda (Vocals (Background)), Wallace Deveries (Vocals (Background)), Jade Puget (Guitar), James Minchin (Photography), Alan Forbes (Illustrations), Jerry Finn (Mixing), Tyler Stewart (Vocals (Background)), Hunter Burgan (Programming), Hunter Burgan (Bass), Omar Alcibar (Vocals (Background)), Davey Havok (Vocals), Dan Under (Vocals (Background)), Adam Carson (Group Member), Ronan Harris (Keyboards), Dmitar Dim E Krnjaic (Assistant Engineer), Jeff Sagud (Vocals (Background)), Kevin Mills (Assistant Engineer), Phillip Read Mason (Vocals (Background)), Luke Wood (A&R), Nick 13 (Vocals (Background)), Ralph Saenz (Vocals (Background)), Melisane Maxwell (Vocals (Background)), Dave McCracken (Keyboards), Brittany Manchatta (Vocals (Background)), Adam Carson (Drums), Steve Cunningham (Vocals (Background)), Christopher Dominey (Vocals (Background)), Hunter Burgan (Keyboards), Caitlin Sanchez (Vocals (Background)), Hunter Burgan (Group Member), Laura Mathis (Vocals (Background)), Keith Barney (Vocals (Background)), Dave McCracken (Programming), John Powe (Vocals (Background)), Jackie Simley (Vocals (Background)), Joe McGrath (Engineer), Ryan Wilson (Vocals (Background)), Phillip Madson (Vocals (Background)), Despair Faction (Vocals (Background)), Chris Kelly (Vocals (Background))
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Wikipedia: Decemberunderground
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Decemberunderground
Studio album by AFI
Released June 6, 2006 USA
Recorded Conway Studios, Los Angeles Sage and Sound Recording, Los Angeles
Genre Alternative rock
Post-hardcore
Post-punk revival
Length 44:44
45:06 (with hidden track)
Label Interscope
Producer Jerry Finn
Professional reviews
AFI chronology
Sing the Sorrow
(2003)		 Decemberunderground
(2006)		 Crash Love
(2009)
Singles from Decemberunderground
  1. "Miss Murder"
    Released: April 3, 2006
  2. "Love Like Winter"
    Released: September 26, 2006
  3. "The Missing Frame"
    Released: February 27, 2007
  4. "Summer Shudder"
    Released: July 2007

Decemberunderground is the seventh album by American rock band AFI. The album is their first album to debut at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 182,000 units in its first week.[1] The album was released on May 29, 2006, in the United Kingdom, June 6, 2006, in the United States, and June 16, 2006, in Mexico. Regarding the album's title, lead singer Davey Havok said, "Decemberunderground is a time and a place. It is where the cold can huddle together in darkness and isolation."[2] The title itself is found in the lyrics of the track "The Interview." Four singles have been released from the album. They are "Miss Murder", "Love Like Winter", "The Missing Frame" and "Summer Shudder".

On November 7, 2006, the album was re-released on 6 "icy clear" 7" vinyl discs, with all four band members' pictures and "... a very special guest" being Smith Puget, the band's tour manager, and a poster/lyric sheet.[3]

AFI was on tour in support of the album since April 2006. It was noted that Download Fest in October 2007 was the last show in support of Decemberunderground, as Havok and Puget then went on to focus on and promote Blaqk Audio before beginning work on Crash Love.

Contents

Track listing

  1. "Prelude 12/21" – 1:35
  2. "Kill Caustic" – 2:39
  3. "Miss Murder" – 3:26
  4. "Summer Shudder" – 3:06
  5. "The Interview" – 4:16
  6. "Love Like Winter" – 2:45
  7. "Affliction" – 5:28
  8. "The Missing Frame" – 4:40
  9. "Kiss and Control" – 4:18
  10. "The Killing Lights" – 4:04
  11. "37mm" – 3:55
  12. "Endlessly, She Said" – 4:28

Bonus tracks, B-Sides, unreleased tracks, etc.

All tracks recorded during the Decemberunderground sessions unless otherwise noted.

  • "Rabbits are Roadkill on Rt.37", a song recorded during the Sing the Sorrow sessions, can be found on the UK, Australian, German, and Japanese editions of the album.
  • "Head Like a Hole" - a Nine Inch Nails cover, was initially released on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game soundtrack. It was later re-released on the UK, Australian, German, and Japanese editions of the album.
  • "Don't Change" - an INXS cover, can be found on the "Miss Murder" 7" picture disc and the Japanese edition of the album.
  • "Jack the Ripper" - a Morrissey cover, was available as an iTunes pre-order bonus track and can also be found on the UK and Australian editions of the "Love Like Winter" single.
  • "On the Arrow" is featured on the Australian "Love Like Winter" single, as well as an iTunes bonus track.
  • "Fallen Like the Sky" - can be found on the 7" vinyl box set version of the album. It was initially released as a Target bonus download track.
  • "Carcinogen Crush" - a song recorded during the Sing the Sorrow sessions. The band did not release it because they felt it did not fit the album. "Carcinogen Crush" was re-recorded during the Decemberunderground sessions, but again did not make the album. The song was first heard as a DLC track in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (part of the Companion Pack, which comes with the CD). Later AFI released the Decemberunderground version as an online digital single.
  • "Fainting Spells" - released on the deluxe edition of Crash Love.
  • "Ether" was recorded during the Decemberunderground sessions. It appears on the Japanese version of Crash Love. It was previously featured in the 2008 video game Nascar 09.
  • "A View From Here" was recorded during the Decemberunderground sessions but has yet to be released.

Release

The single, "Miss Murder", was supposed to have premiered on LIVE 105 on April 13, 2006, but due to the fact that the thirty-second clip that aired on April 11 had such an overwhelming response of people requesting to hear it over and over again, Interscope Records gave permission for the radio station to play the entire song, and those who tuned in on their radios and online across the globe got to hear it early. The full track listing of the album was announced on April 25, 2006.[4]

When fans preordered this CD at special pre-listening events, they received a CD including "Miss Murder" and "Don't Change". "Don't Change" is a cover of an INXS song.

The first pressing of the CD in North America contains "limited edition artwork" of a single portrait of one of the members of AFI, with a portrait of the entire band on the reverse of the insert, which serves as the CD cover, hiding the portrait on the CD booklet cover.[5]

The album was also made available via 12" vinyl by Adeline Records.

Fan and critical responses

 This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (July 2008)

Decemberunderground debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 selling 182,000 copies in its first week of release.[6] The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 30, 2006 and as of September 2009 has sold 993,000 copies in the U.S.[7][8]

Songs such as "37mm" and "Summer Shudder" rely more on electronics than in previous releases. The album has received mixed reviews, For example, Rolling Stone awarded the album three stars out of five, a drop from the four-star album Sing the Sorrow. Rolling Stone said Decemberunderground feels like "something isn't right in the world of AFI" due to their turn towards a more pop-based musical structure "that would be at home on the soundtrack to the next Spider-Man movie".[9] However, Allmusic disagreed, saying the "core of AFI's sound never strays too far from what listeners have grown to love about them in the first place." This album earned four stars out of five from Allmusic.[10]

The album received 72/100 on Metacritic, indicating generally positive reviews.[11]

Chart positions

Chart Peak Position
Billboard 200[6] 1
ARIA Albums Chart 3
Top UK Rock Albums 2
Billboard Comprehensive Albums 1
Top Rock Albums 16
Top Digital Albums 2
Tastemakers 1
French Albums Chart 181
German Albums Chart 58
RIANZ Charts 20
UK Albums Chart 16
Top Internet Albums 1
European Albums 2
Top Canadian Albums 2
Top Comprehensive Albums 77
World Albums Top 40 2
IRMA Albums 66

Production

  • Producer: Jerry Finn
  • Mixing Engineers: Jerry Finn and Chris Lord-Alge
  • Recording Engineer: Joe McGrath
  • ProTools Engineer : Jake Davies
  • Assistant Engineers: Seth Waldmann, Jason Gossman, Kevin Mills, Eric Weaver, Dimitar Krnjaic, and Keith Armstrong
  • Drum Technician: Mike Fasano
  • Programming and Keyboards: Jade Puget, Hunter Burgan, Ronan Harris, and Dave McCracken
  • Recorded at Conway Recording Studios and Sage & Sound Recording Studios
  • Mixed at Conway Recording Studios and Resonate Music
  • Mastered at Sterling Sound, NYC by Ten Jensen
  • A&R: Luke Wood
  • Art Direction & Design: Morning Breath Inc.
  • Illustration: Alan Forbes
  • Photography: James Minchin

Personnel

Guests

References

  1. ^ "AFI Burns Brightly With No. 1 Debut". 2006-06-14. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002687993. 
  2. ^ "AFI Official Biography". AFI Official Website. http://www.afireinside.net/bio/. Retrieved 2006-05-27. 
  3. ^ http://www.cinderblock.com/wc.dll?WebStore%7ERViewItem%7EAFI%7EAFI-BOX1%7ESID=11
  4. ^ "AFI Reveals Track Listing". Aversion.com Music News. http://www.aversion.com/news/news_article.cfm?news_id=6399. Retrieved 2006-05-27. 
  5. ^ AFI | Official Site
  6. ^ a b Author unknown. "AFI Burns Brightly With No. 1 Debut". billboard.com. 2006.
  7. ^ "Gold and Platinum Database Search". http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Decemberunderground&artist=afi&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2009-08-07. 
  8. ^ Wood, Mikael. "AFI Revs Up The Rock On 'Crash Course'". billboard.com September 14, 2009.
  9. ^ Strauss, Neil (2006). "Rolling Stone : Decemberunderground : Review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/10483520/review/10500531/Decemberunderground. Retrieved 2006-06-17. 
  10. ^ Apar, Corey (2006). "allmusic ((( Decemberunderground > Review ))):". allmusic.com. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:25j20r2aw48x~T1. Retrieved 2006-06-17. 
  11. ^ AFI: Decemberunderground (2006): Reviews

External links

Preceded by
Taking the Long Way by Dixie Chicks		 Billboard 200 number-one album
June 18, 2006 - June 24, 2006		 Succeeded by
The Big Bang by Busta Rhymes
v • d • e
AFI
Hunter Burgan · Adam Carson · Davey Havok · Jade Puget
Vic Chalker · Geoff Kresge · Markus Stopholese
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Live
Compilations
Videos & DVDs
Singles
Labels
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
Learn More
Decemberunderground [Bonus Tracks] (2006 Album by AFI)
Blaqk Audio (Rock Band)
I Heard a Voice: Live from Long Beach Arena (2007 Album by AFI)

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