Crash Love

by Courtney Hilden

Although I might be later embarrassed to admit this, I am an A.F.I. fan. I first became aware of them when they were mostly a punk band, and I liked the supernatural melodrama of their album The Art of Drowning, which struck me as a perfect soundtrack to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Later on, when they released their Sing the Sorrow, I was impressed by the breath of influences (80s neoromantics, metal, punk, goth, pop) and their lyrical content, which focused on the same apocalyptic themes but with more imagery. In songwriting, it is so easy to tell listeners; it is so much harder to show them. Then Decemberunderground came out, and I was so disappointed by the B-side-esque quality of the most of the music, I was simply to afraid to try their next album, Crash Love. If it was bad, it would break my heart, because then it meant that A.F.I. was no longer the band I had loved. So I put off listening to it, even though I purchased it in late 2009.
What a mistake putting that off was.
Crash Love is not a perfect album, but it would be hard for anyone to beat out Sing the Sorrow. Crash Love is still wonderful, and breaks new ground lyrically for A.F.I. The album's lyrics are mostly centered around a souring relationship, which, considering the focus of some of their earlier work, is both new ground for them and old hat for most bands, which usually focus their work of this exact subject. What makes A.F.I.'s take on the subject interesting is how unrelentingly and unembarrassingly messed up and melodramatic this whole unraveling relationship is. Several of the songs, like "Beautiful Thieves" talk about committing crimes together, in a way that strangely conjures up Bonnie and Clyde, if they were modern criminals who shopped at Hot Topic. Many of the songs discuss pretending within the relationship, like in "Veronica Sawyer Smokes" mentions "feigning falling" and "Okay I Feel Better Now" where the singer admits "faking for you." The song "Too Shy to Scream" prophetically works through the breakup, noting that the other person will not even pause their life after ending a relationship, just simply move on. Hughes films are even referenced in "Veronica Sawyer Smokes."
The song that is actually the most interesting (and perhaps the most lyrically impressive) is "Sacrilege." It is the only song that is not obviously about a deteriorating relationship. Instead, it appears to be a critique of religion from an atheist point of view. It brings up multiple aspects of religion, calling it obsolete, filled with "hysteric fairy tales" and "one big joke." It twists and flips religious imagery and phrases in clever ways. "Say your prayers, they're the final punchline./I don't see the love/below or above," Havok sings. "Please believe I'm doing just fine." Given that so much of A.F.I.'s previous music has referenced apocalypses and religious imagery, this song is particularly interesting and sheds a new light on their older work.
The album is a perfect distillation of the power punk pop that A.F.I. is so famous for. There is something invigorating about the overall sound of the album, and unlike most pop out there, the songs deal in uncommon ways with love, and in the case of one song, critiques religion in an impressively passionate way.

Christmas Concert with the Hard Lessons

by Courtney Hilden

The Hard Lessons, the best punk/indie band in Detroit, has been giving an annual Christmas concert (the day after Christmas, natch) for five years. This year, instead of their usual three or four bands playing, they had six bands, and it made it the best of their Christmas concerts yet.
The opening bands were surprisingly good. All three of them sounded similar to The Hard Lessons and gave solid performances. The only thing disappointing about their performances was the reaction from the audience, which was antsy and waiting for the main performance to start. Their loss, because if they had listened they would have heard how good these openers were.
The Barretts, a barbershop quartet featuring Koko Louise (the female vocals and piano of the Hard Lessons) was stunning perfect. They had the clear sound of choral music, and all four members were in sync with one another. The harmonies blended together like a delicious mixed drink, and was just as enjoyable. Their version of "Mr. Sandman" was inspired and fun. Can't these ladies perform more often?
After a brief break, Frontier Ruckus came on. I must here make the confession that I am somewhat biased when it comes to this band. I took a class a couple of years back with the drummer, Ryan. At the beginning of the class, I was familar with the band but unaware of his connection to them. I liked Ryan as a fellow student because he was smart, well-read, and engaged in the class. Only later another student in the class tipped me off that he was in Frontier Ruckus.
The band's been touring the US for quite some time now, and having them back in Michigan (which features heavily in their songs) makes their recent homecoming all the sweeter. Frontier Ruckus is more rock than Bon Iver and more twang than The Builders and the Butchers, with Bob Dylan's love of long, winding narratives thrown in for good measure. They are not the sort of band that needs to be seen live, but they are all excellent musicians. Watching them is watching a master's course in subtle performance. Zack's work, with multiple instruments including the saw, is particularly impressive. Matt is right to kneel down at his feet, a strange libation to make several times mid-perfomance.
Finally, the crowd could stop anticipating, because The Hard Lessons were finally on. Again, I have to pause to explain my bias. I attended a school where the guitarist and male vocalist, Augie, taught for about a year.
The Hard Lessons consistently give carthatic performances. Their albums pale in comparison with their live show. This was no different. Once again, they played a perfect set, one that reflected their entire career well. After their release of their B and G Sides, they were playing mostly off of that album, and for all it's strengths, it was a very different album than their previous work, and their live shows weren't quite as energetic as before or after. Their "Don't Shake My Tree," "Bamboo," "Milk and Sugar" and "Carey Says Alright" were all crowd pleasers. The audience was clearly loving it, singing along, screaming, dancing and throwing their hands up for "The Arms Forest." The band's Christmas concert is an excellent night out, and I personally cannot wait for the next one.