Sing the Sorrow

Sing the Sorrow
Studio album by AFI
Released March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11)
Recorded Cello Studios, Los Angeles
Genre Post-hardcore,[1] punk rock,[2] emo[3]
Length 55:54
Label DreamWorks
Producer Jerry Finn, Butch Vig
AFI chronology
The Days of the Phoenix EP
(2001)		 Sing the Sorrow
(2003)		 AFI
(2004)
AFI video chronology
Clandestine
(2003)		 I Heard a Voice – Live from Long Beach Arena
(2006)
Singles from Sing the Sorrow
  1. "Girl's Not Grey"
    Released: January 12, 2003
  2. "The Leaving Song Pt. II"
    Released: August 3, 2003
  3. "Silver and Cold"
    Released: 2003

Sing the Sorrow is the sixth studio album by American rock band AFI. Recorded at Cello Studios in Los Angeles, California between 2002 and 2003, the album was produced by Jerry Finn and Butch Vig.

Sing the Sorrow received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised its melodies and musicianship, as well as its mature sound in comparison to the band's previous material. The album sold 96,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States,[4] reaching number 5 on the Billboard 200, and also charted in Canada and the United Kingdom. It has since been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as well as being certified Platinum in Canada. The album was supported by three singles: "Girl's Not Grey", "The Leaving Song Pt. II" and "Silver and Cold", which have since successfully charted within the Alternative Songs and Rock Songs charts.

Music and lyrics

Musically, Sing the Sorrow is a departure from the hardcore punk and horror punk genres featured in the band's previous material. While the album does feature elements of hardcore punk and punk rock,[3][5] the album also features elements of post-hardcore, alternative rock, gothic rock and emo.[3][5] The album is more experimental than previous AFI albums.[5] The album includes instruments other than guitar, bass and drums, including instruments such as piano and strings.[3] Lyrically, the album is darker and more poetic than previous material. The album includes a hidden track containing a spoken word poem accompanied by piano keys and distorted synth sounds. The song "Death of Seasons" is noted for featuring elements of techno.[2]

Artwork and liner notes

The album was released with three different covers, featuring different colors for the logo and text. The colors were red, silver and black. The original cover features red artwork. Several of the first pressings in the United States and United Kingdom featured the silver cover, but the pressings are now rare and out of print, although the digital version of Sing the Sorrow among iTunes still features the silver artwork. The black cover was solely available at performing shows within the United States tour following the album's release, and through the Despair Faction's online store as well. The black cover is now rare and out of print, with only 2,500 copies in circulation.

All versions of the back cover feature a small encircled picture. The picture is of an ocean horizon, a reference to the artwork of AFI's fourth studio album Black Sails in the Sunset. Although the album was released through DreamWorks Records, a logo of Nitro Records is found on the back cover of all versions, AFI's previous record label. The second to last page of the album booklet features a small picture of a rabbit with the phrase "Rabbits are Roadkill" written next to it, a reference to the song "Rabbits are Roadkill on Rt. 37", recorded during the Sing the Sorrow sessions and released in 2005.

International versions of the album use different artwork on the album label. Often contain a picture of an inverted octopus whilst other contain a foraminifer or a dead bird. All of the pictures are taken from the book Animals by Jim Harter. Some versions, including the Ukrainian edition, feature no artwork on the album label, and have inconsistent cover artwork from other versions.

Sing the Sorrow's seventh track, "Death of Seasons", features the only use of profanity on the album. "Fuck" appears twice in the track: once at the 1:33 mark as "all of this hatred/is fucking real", and later at the 2:52 mark as "'cause this hate/is fucking real." However, the album managed to avoid receiving the RIAA's "Parental Advisory Warning" label on the cover by citing the lyric as being "sucking" within the booklet, as they had thought the label would ruin the album artwork.

Release

It was released on March 11, 2003 through DreamWorks Records. From June to August 2003, the group went on the 2003 edition of Warped Tour.[6]

Special limited edition

The hard book cover of the limited edition.

A special limited edition was released that included the short film Clandestine on DVD, directed by Norwood Cheek. It also contained a 60-page booklet featuring extensive artwork and lyrics as well.

The film is eight minutes in length and stars all four band members. The film contains references to imagery and concepts from the album. The film focuses on the four band members trying to obtain a mysterious box which bears resemblance to the Sing the Sorrow album cover. The film features two alternate soundtracks, one by Hunter Burgan and the other by Jade Puget. Only 20,000 copies were pressed.

Extra tracks

Extra tracks are featured on several international versions of the CD release. US editions of the CD release included links to the bonus tracks "Synesthesia" and "Now the World" on a "secret site" that is now defunct.

All versions of Sing the Sorrow contain a spoken poem and the song "This Time Imperfect" as a hidden track. After a brief silence, piano music begins to play as Jade Puget's younger brother Gibson speaks the first third of the poem. After the poem is concluded, the hidden track "This Time Imperfect" fades in, featuring a guitar playing backwards and extensive sampling.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Alternative Press[8]
Blender[9]
Entertainment WeeklyD[10]
PopMatters(favorable)[11]
Punknews.org[5]
Q[7]
Rolling Stone[12]
Slant Magazine[2]
Sputnikmusic4.5/5[1]

Critical response to Sing the Sorrow was very positive. The review aggregator Metacritic scored the album an 81 out of 100, based on 11 reviews, with the mention of "Universal Acclaim".[13] E! Online called it "[a] well-crafted mix of hardcore bluster, determined melody and anthemic grandness that boasts depth and texture rarely heard from the Warped Tour ilk."[7] Alternative Press awarded the album a perfect score, saying that, "Sing the Sorrow soars with the kind of melodies hit singles are made of, yet it somehow persists with AFI's esoteric darkness."[7] Allmusic awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote: "Emerging in early 2003 with Sing the Sorrow, it's clear the molting process AFI began with Black Sails in Sunset is complete," and concluded that, "Whatever factions of the band's longterm fans might think of their major-label affiliation, Sing the Sorrow represents a coalescing of the band's sound."[3] Rolling Stone awarded the album a 4 out of 5, claiming that "Sing the Sorrow is not exactly a concept album, but it does have a singleness of dark purpose that builds in momentum as the disc progresses."[7] In further support, The New York Times rated Sing the Sorrow as the tenth-best album of 2003. Conversely, Entertainment Weekly awarded the album a 'D,' commenting that "The songs combine the most pretentious and overworked elements of their influences."[7] The New York Times listed the album as one of the best of 2003.[14]

It ranked #77 in the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's List of the 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time. The album's lead single "Girl's Not Grey" received a 2003 VMA for the 'Best MTV2 Music Video' category.[15] The track is also a playable track on the video game Rock Band 2, and a downloadable track for the video game Guitar Hero 5 and iPhone/iPod touch application Tap Tap Revenge. "The Leaving Song Pt. II" was also made available as downloadable content for the Rock Band series. "Dancing Through Sunday" was featured as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. "Miseria Cantare" was used in the trailer for the 2014 short film Interference, which premiered at the Roxbury Film Festival.

Certifications and chart positions

Chart positions

Chart Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[16] 65
Canadian Albums Chart[17] 10
UK Albums Chart[18] 52
US Billboard 200[17] 5

Certifications

Territory Provider Certification
Australia ARIA Gold[19]
Canada CRIA Platinum[20]
United States RIAA Platinum[21]

Singles

Three singles, each with an accompanying music video, were released from Sing the Sorrow: "Girl's Not Grey", "The Leaving Song Pt. II," and "Silver and Cold." "Girl's Not Grey" was the highest charting single, reaching #7 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart,[22] #33 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and #22 on the UK Singles Chart. The second single, "The Leaving Song Pt. II" charted at #16 on the Alternative Songs chart,[22] #31 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, #27 in Australia, and #43 in the UK. The third and final single, "Silver and Cold" reached #7 on the Alternative Songs chart[22] and #39 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Track listing

All tracks written by AFI. 

No.TitleLength
1."Miseria Cantare - The Beginning"  2:57
2."The Leaving Song Pt. II"  3:31
3."Bleed Black"  4:15
4."Silver and Cold"  4:11
5."Dancing Through Sunday"  2:26
6."Girl's Not Grey"  3:10
7."Death of Seasons"  3:59
8."The Great Disappointment"  5:27
9."Paper Airplanes (makeshift wings)"  3:58
10."This Celluloid Dream"  4:11
11."The Leaving Song"  2:44
12."...but home is nowhere" (Includes hidden tracks "The Spoken Word" and "This Time Imperfect") (3:52 on UK edition, without hidden tracks)15:07
Total length:55:54

B-sides and unreleased songs

All songs recorded during the Sing the Sorrow sessions unless otherwise noted.

Personnel

AFI
Additional musicians
  • Susie Katayama – cello
  • Roger Joseph Manning Jr. – additional keys on "...but home is nowhere"
  • Anna-Lynne Williams – guest female vocal
  • Jasmine Weist – Guest female vocal
  • Nick 13 – additional backing vocals
  • Geoff Kresge – additional backing vocals
  • Chris Holmes – additional backing vocals
  • Ralph Saenz – additional backing vocals
  • Matt Wedgley – additional backing vocals
  • Steve Cunningham – additional backing vocals
  • St. Mileon's Church – choir
  • Gibson Casian – spoken word vocals
  • Hans Wold – spoken word vocals
Production
  • Jerry Finn – producer, mixing, additional backing vocals
  • Butch Vig – producer, additional backing vocals
  • Joe McGrath – recording, additional backing vocals
  • Chris Holmes – assistant engineer
  • Alan Mason – assistant engineer
  • Dan Chase – assistant engineer
  • Stacey Dodds – assistant engineer, vocoder on "Death of Seasons"
  • Alan Sanderson – assistant engineer
  • Alan Mason – additional technical assistant
  • Garner Knutsen – drum technician
  • Mike Fasano – drum technician
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Luke Wood – A&R, additional backing vocals
  • Jason Noto – art direction, design
  • Doug Cunningham – art direction, design
  • Alan Forbes – icon illustration
  • Matthew Welsh – photography

Release history

Standard edition
Region Date Label Format Catalogue
United Kingdom March 10, 2003 DreamWorks CD 450 448-2, 450 448-2(A), 450 448-2(B)
United States March 11, 2003 0044-50380-2
Australia March 31, 2003 450 380-2
Japan April 22, 2003 UICW-1034
Special limited edition
Region Date Label Format Catalogue
United States April 22, 2003 DreamWorks CD+DVD 0044-50440-0

References

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