Episode 42 - Blacks Sails in the Sunset by AFI

It’s punk-o-rama this week. Well, it’s not actually the punk-o-rama compilation or anything, but it is the first punk record we’ve covered a little while. Mark’s choice is ‘Black Sails in the Sunset’ by AFI, a band whose career has shifted in unexpected ways since their inception in 1991.

From snotty skate punk to eyeliner soaked, Misfits aping goth-punk, straight through the mid 00s emo trend right up to their reinvention as a rock band with heavy synth-pop elements, AFI are an outfit who have followed their muse faithfully, never afraid to go in a different direction if the song demands it.

Yet with such a fluid approach to genre as comes a mixed bag of success. 'Black Sails’ marks the midway point between their punk and goth vibes, channelling the Misifts but hinting at something more textured that seemed to lie just beyond.

Mark attempts to make a case for why this is the best AFI record, before revealing how in depth analysis of it lead to a slight change of heart.

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