eMusic Review 0
Please stop calling Alexisonfire "emo." True, the band frequently breaks into unashamedly melodic harmonies on Old Crows/Young Cardinals, their fourth and best album, but despite their absorption into the Canadian rock mainstream, AOF's sound is still rooted in the jagged metal-influenced riffing and scream-along hoarseness of post-hardcore, a sound that has little to do with the stadium power-pomp the e-word currently implies. More nuanced than ever without sacrificing punch, Old Crows is as furious in places as the more indie-accepted work of fellow Canadians/occasional AOF collaborators Fucked Up. See, for instance, "No Rest,” "Emerald Street,” and especially “Accept Crime,” which expertly pulls off that perennial hardcore trick: combining an anthemic riff with an equally anthemic chorus until you're too caught up in the music's rush to cringe at the cheesily earnest poetry of the lyrics.
