THE USED

THE USED
LIES FOR THE LIARS (2007)
320 KBPS

The Used have themselves in a difficult situation. First of all, they're a band that had a strong first release and came out of nowhere. Now that they're commercially successful and their third CD is out, everyone wants to believe that they're either dead, selling out or turned to crap. It's just a popular idea, like believing that the world is coming to an end. (The world has never ended once, mind you, despite all the people who said it would.)
Secondly, between the band and their producer (John Feldman) and mixer (Chris Lord-Alge), there are a lot of envelopes being pushed here. Bert intermittently flirts with things that good vocalists are neither required nor traditionally expected to do, the record itself was recorded in some surprisingly experimental ways (e.g., the vocals on "Smother Me" were recorded outside at the beach), and the songs incorporate and manipulate sound in ways that are occasionally very original and captivating. This is a double-edged sword in a way, though, because whenever you attempt to go out on a limb and do something in an even halfway-inventive manner, people will inevitably become scared and indignant toward change. Don't be one of those people.
In summary, this is a solid third release from The Used. If you are a fan of ANY of their material and not the type to become intimidated or bitter toward a band's continued success and growth, I can't imagine you being disappointed by this CD. I know I wasn't.

1. The Ripper
2. Pretty Handsome Awkward
3. The Bird And The Worm
4. Earthquake
5. Hospital
6. Paralyzed
7. With Me Tonight
8. Wake The Dead
9. Find A Way
10. Liar Liar [Burn In Hell]
11. Smother Me