Artist: The Used

Album: In Love and Death

Label: Reprise Records

Tracks: 12

Length: 41:49

                 Reviewed By: Justin Brinker

 

It is usually not a good thing when your band’s notoriety is founded on the vocalist dating someone famous.  At least not for a band seeking credibility but in today’s musical climate it can lead to many things most notably big record sales. Such is the case for Utah’s The Used, who find themselves facing this very dilemma.  Vocalist Bert McCracken’s short lived relationship with Kelly Osbourne not only helped make him quasi-famous but gave him several cameos on MTV’s The Osbournes which in turn resulted in The Used being splattered all over MTV.  Their 2002 self-titled debut was well received but lead many to question if they were just a mediocre rock band who was embraced by local Hot Topics everywhere which catapulted them beyond what they deserved.

 

The sophomore release, “In Love and Death” does not really answer any of these questions.  The opening track “Take It Away”, with its shotgun blast, tries to set the pace for this eerie soundtrack that is supposed to give one a glimpse into McCracken’s broken mind but unfortunately falls short.  “I Caught Fire” is a well crafted pop rock song that opens with a guitar riff before the verse features McCracken and just a bass line and drums with guitar weaving in and out.  “All That I’ve Got” opens with glockenspiel and strings to change things up while an acoustic guitar is featured on the verses and alongside McCracken’s squeals.  “Cut Up Angels” is extremely catchy but sounds too much like a My Chemical Romance B-side.  The heavy aspects found on their self-titled release is almost non-existent, with the exception of the opener, until “Listening” that adds drum effects and finds McCracken screaming, “I can’t stand to hear you scream!” The acoustic driven “Yesterday’s Feelings” brings things back to a screeching halt before “Light With a Sharpened Edge” is a mid-tempo rock song that will more than likely find much radio air play.  “Hard To Say” is my favorite song on this album and really is a stretch for The Used but is a beautiful ballad.  The closer “I’m A Fake” starts out with a spoken word monologue that comes off with much more bark than bite and the same holds true for the song as well.

 

This is a pop rock record with shades of the fierceness that was found intermittently on 2002’s “The Used.” Many of the songs are heartbreak ballads.  For instance “I Caught Fire” McCracken cries, “Kiss me like you did my heart stopped beating such a softer sin.” In “Lunacy Fringe” he employs, “Wake up my love never thought you’d make me, break me.”  It is hit and miss lyrically as McCracken at times sounds whiny but for the most part manages to shy away from that.

 

The production, done by Goldfinger’s John Feldman, really emphasizes the pop aspects of The Used.  It is clean with various effects on the instruments and vocals to keep the listener interested.  This is going to put The Used in a strange predicament because it seems to borrow shades from all things radio while not fitting into any niche. It appears like McCracken is attempting to become the spokesman for disenfranchised youth and sometimes it translates as manufactured.  Whether or not this is the next logical step in the progression of The Used’s sound is yet to be known.