Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/22/2007
It isn't completely fair to compare
the Used to
My Chemical Romance, despite their associations in the past (they covered
Queen and
David Bowie's
"Under Pressure" as a team) and surface similarities.
The Used have deeper roots in
punk (there's a reason why former drummer
Branden Steineckert high-tailed it for a gig with
Rancid), and they always were more purely
emo than
MCR. Nevertheless,
the Used's third studio album,
Lies for the Liars, sure brings to mind
The Black Parade, particularly in how
the Used pile on lurid, florid
art rock trappings upon their
pop-
punk, borrowing vocal arrangements from
Queen and imagery from
The Wall (this time, it's the worms); the album also has a song called
"Hospital" that recalls the deathbed escapades of
Gerard Way. But where
Lies for the Liars really shares similarities with
The Black Parade is in how it's a big-budget escalation of the band's sound designed to leave the
emo tag behind. While there's a haze of pretension hanging over some of the record -- nowhere more so than on the awful single
"The Bird and the Worm," a noisy hookless cluster of staccato strings, druid vocals, and narcissistic
emo romanticism -- this plays more poppy than proggy, as
the Used dabble in all sorts of classic
pop sounds, kicking off the album with a sleek, echoey
new wave guitar and then spiking the chorus of
"With Me Tonight" with blaring horns straight out of
Chicago. All this flair gives
Lies for the Liars some lightness if not levity, since
the Used is, like all bands of their ilk, a very serious band, diligently plundering the deep uncharted avenues of the soul. Try as they may to inject some humor into their music -- the mock-shuffle on
"Paralyzed," the two-step gallop of
"With Me Tonight," the "liar, liar pants on fire" chorus of
"Liar Liar (Burn in Hell)," which was probably meant ironically but sure doesn't play that way -- this is a relentlessly sober affair, churning with glum guitars and an eternally adolescent sincerity. It's not funny, it's not fun, but it wasn't meant to be: it was meant as a collection of tortured love songs (
"Earthquake" and
"Find a Way" boasting the sweetest melody and harmonies here) and teenage solidarity anthems (
"Pretty Handsome Awkward," which winds up sounding like a clumsy come-on). Ironically enough, that splashy production and infusion of
pop on
Lies for the Liars may very well keep away the adolescents who stuck with the band throughout their first two records -- there's nothing that angsty teenagers like better than aggression, which isn't necessarily absent here, but it is tempered -- and may keep them from speaking to any listener a few years removed from college.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Average Review:
Number of reviews: 61
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Megan/ShesaMonster
from Baltimore, MD
Very good album, their best yet!
I give The Used's new album 'Lies for The Liars' a 4 out of 5 stars. It is such a good album and I highly suggest you check it out! Its got songs that make you want to dance such as 'Paralyzed' and songs that give you a reason to want to have someone to love, just so you can think of them when you hear that particular song such as 'Smother Me' and 'Find a Way'. There are also some extremely catchy songs on the album such as 'Liar Liar' 'Pretty Handsome Awkward' and 'Hospital', you'll have them stuck in your head for days. This is such a good album and its worth every penny. The lyrics are so well written, powerful and easy to relate to. Their music will definitely have you tapping your foot along if not thrashing around, GO BUY THIS CD!
A reviewer
from San Jose, CA
The Best Damn Thing On Earth!
Between My Chemical Romance's Cd And The Ussed's Cd I'd Go With The Used! Pretty Handsome Awkward Is My Favorite Song On Lies For The Liars. It. Kicks. Ass. The Best Used Cd Yet.
Maria DeLeon
from Hialeah, FL
Mind-Blowing Third Album from The Used
This new album The Used has put out really shows how the band has grown and developed over the past few years. It's the same basic sound, the same deep emotions in the lyrics, but it has a new, innovative spin to it. Swing, big band, and electronic are incorporated into some of their tracks, creating an original sound that goes perfectly with The Used's signature musical style. The album was inspired by the inauthenticity in the people Bert McCracken (vocals) has come across after moving from Orem, Utah to the Los Angeles area. The theme of fakes and liars is a recurring one in the album. Each track is different from the rest in the CD and brings something new to the table. It's as though with the creation of this album, not only has the band's sound evolved, but they seem to have found themselves and developed their identity as a band. Getting this album is a must, you won't regret it for a second.
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