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AFI’s new album “Crash Love” is filled with surprises. It’s not as dark as “Decemberunderground” is. It almost has equal parts of pop and rock. The songs are infectious in melody and style, (and that’s even for the songs that are supposed to rock a little harder on the album.) And in lots of places on the set you’re greeted with a rough type of glam-rock. AFI’s “Crash Love” is filled with surprises, you can really go on and on with them. But it’s not surprising that it’s a good album. The single “Medicate” was our preview to what was coming. It was a good first-listen, and a good transition track between “Decemberunderground” and “Crash Love.” It sounds like it could have been on the band’s last album, but there are more pop fundamentals to the song than most of the tracks on that last record. What’s really surprising and almost really stunning is that you’re hearing things like Bowie and Queen. It’s good stuff too, it’s not a giant stretch, but more of AFI’s unintentional take on that type of music. Really interesting stuff. You can hear that a lot during the second half of the album. This album isn’t a complete 180 over their past work, and on some songs it’s different for the better. If you’re a big fan of the band’s screaming work you’re going to be disappointed with some things here, but just a few. Regardless of how you feel about the approach on some of the songs, you have to give it up to AFI on style for “Crash Love.” After putting out an amazing record last time, they didn’t mail it in with the same record; they did something different and really something stellar. Not altogether better. Just different.