First things first, do you know how hard it is to tell people to go out and get the new Used CD? They look at you, think for a second, then it clicks. But anyway, you have to go get the new Used CD. It is brilliant. These guys did not disappoint in their newest installment, Lies for the Liars.
Although the first song, "The Ripper," delivers a quick punch, it’s not really until the second song "Pretty Handsome Awkward" that the screamo hooks The Used are known for kick in. With chant able “Yeahs” (almost Rob Zombie-esque) and a chorus consisting of the song’s title, this is the first memorable track on the album. "The Bird and the Worm" resembles something almost like Panic! At the Disco with interesting strings during the introduction and verses.
This is just a sample of the musical exploration that this album contains. The very next song, "Earthquake," shows the softer side of the band. The ballad of the album shows that these screaming pissed off rockers can also be romantic. Well, as romantic as you can be while talking about “blood in my mouth, and have I murdered our love.” However, these lyrics are what The Used is known for, and they do a wonderful example of incorporating them with softer, mellow music. The song after "Hospital," the unofficial title track, does a great job of turning screamo into digital music by having some techno like breakdowns with stalled vocals and synthesizer. My favorite song on the album is track 6, "Paralyzed." The feel of the song is so different with drum sticks clicking on the rim of the snare drum, and the walking guitar/bass riffs. It’s a wonderful attempt at switching up their sound, and has a memorable chorus, “Paralyzed by the same old antics, back and forth like some walking spastic...” However, my favorite part of the song is the bridge because of the horn section used. Nobody uses horns anymore, and the addition is not really expected and works well.
"With Me Tonight" has even more fun guitar riffs during parts of the song, some more horns, some more “chick-i-chicka” vocals thrown in by Bert, and some jazzy piano and drum interludes, followed by screaming and heavy distorted guitars. The song "Find A Way" again shows the softer side of the band, and has a beginning that reminds me a lot of Pink Floyd with the cash register dinging in the background, however the song itself drags a little unless you’re in the calm mood to listen to it. Then the album takes a 360, turns a nursery rhyme “Liar, liar, pants on fire” into yet another memorable song, and ends with another emo ballad "Smother Me," which is the most romantic song I’ve ever heard from these guys. Again though, their idea of being romantic is asking to “turn my insides out, won’t you smother me.”
Forget everything you’ve ever known about The Used. If you’ve loved them in the past, or hated them, this record will give you a new appreciation for the band. For music in general. It’s great to see a well known band switch up their sound to the point where they attract new fans, but also stay the same enough to keep the die hard audience.
The Used