Review Summary: (12-track version) Great album with a determined feel. The only place you'll find happy-go-lucky mixed with screaming. Bert McKracken said his lyrics are purposely vague. Overall message to me was personal revolution on a worldwide level.
Honest Track by Track Review
Source: I've listened to this album over and over for days. I do the same for any other album. Currently listening to La Gargola as well. I will compare some tracks to those of their previous albums.
Revolution - This song sets the mood, a call to action. Very similar to their song "Mosh N' Church (demo)". If you like this go listen to that one. Intense, brooding, political. A little screaming, heavy guitars, heavy bass. I started laughing the first time I heard it because I was so excited that maybe the album was hard. (oh well)
Cry - The single. A prickly guitar riff defines the catchy element of this song. Some sampling, some screaming in the background. Near the last section of the song, there's a shameless self-reference to "Buried Myself Alive" when the lyrics say "if you're gonna get me back, you're gonna have to ask nicer than that..." Will make any hardcore fan happy. This is the purist straight-forward Alternative rock song on the album.
El-Oh-Vee-Ee - I was scared to listen to this song when I saw the title. One notable thing about it is the crowd sing-along chorus that strangely reminded me of 30 Seconds to Mars. Bert McKracken sings in his wispy voice similar to songs like "Find a Way". The chorus is their basic sound, but the verse has an electronic feel with some interesting backup vocal effects and screams later in the song.
A Song To Stifle Imperial Progression (A Work in Progress) - One of the best. Its a gritty song very similar to "Something Safe (demo)", and the natural evolution of their earliest, "It Could Be A Good Excuse (demo)". They amazingly manage to make the chorus gritty and funky simultaneously. Strong anti-war-on-terror themes. Fist-pumping included.
Generation Throwaway - I wish this song was replaced with track 12, "Money Monster". Chorus singalong. Reminded me of "On The Cross", (verse has great energy but goes to an anticlimactic chorus). I like everything but the chorus which was the thematic call to action. It grows on you. Maybe. *cough*
Make Believe - This song is pretty catchy, and sounds like its talking about escaping from Orem and Mormonism. However, it is pretty predictable: Guitars are light in the verse, louder and repeating a couple consecutive notes in the chorus. The lyrics would appeal to rebellious teenagers, which most people try to avoid.
Evolution - Choir choruses in the background. Distorted bass and electronic echo give this an almost too-positive ambience (which is definitely one of their defining sounds). The chorus has some good elements to it, but may come off over the top to some. The middle of the song (2:22) is split by a minor orchestra-violin tinged part that I wish was an entirely different song because its interesting and could totally have been a screaming song. Catchy. References to "Thought Criminal".
Imaginary Enemy - The instruments kinda ruined how catchy it was for me.. A confusion of ska-like trumpets, Artwork-like guitar riffs, and old western-folk-pop song all crushed into one. The song just morphs while you're listening to it, which I didn't particularly like. Mixed feelings. Woke up with it in my head.
Kenna Song - Slow Ballad of the album. I had hoped that somehow magically this type of song wouldn't appear on the album. Ethereal dreamlike beginning into 90's prom TV scene music. Another call to action, but to the tune of peace on earth. Painfully optimistic.
Force Without Violence - I have listened to this song more than any other. Could easily be skipped over, but listen to it when you're dead tired or about to fall asleep. The shift from the chorus to the verse is great. Another call to action.
At the end of the song is one of Bert's cryptic and creepy poems.
Overdose / Red Heart - "Your love is my drug". Really Bert? You couldn't steer away from Ke$ha slightly more? Similar to "Tunnel" (Shallow Believer) or "Smother Me" (Lies for the Liars). 2:10 into the song is where it gets catchy (way too late) but worth it.
There is a strange meditation rant at the end called "Red Heart". Careful, this feels like a hypnosis track. See for yourself. Fall asleep to any of these and you'll get it.
Money Monster - Only available on the deluxe version. I don't know why they take great tracks like this off the actual album. This song is a lot like "Cry" in some acoustic elements. There is a filter on Bert's voice, guitars are prominent, some sampling. They must have felt like the song was unfinished but it belongs on the album.
The CD has a determined feel to it, and a message that its time to take it into our own hands and change things. Very clearly negative towards US Unilateralism, oil, the war on terror, and the Federal Reserve.
If you really listen to the album as a whole you would catch that determined vibe. As is, there are at least 4 songs on this album I will be going back to for sure. 1, 2, 4, 10. There is PLENTY OF EMOTION in those specific tracks alone. You cannot have that many good songs and not give an album a good rating. If you're mad its not The Used album you wanted, thats not an excuse to write a bad review. *cough* *staff review* *cough* If even song deserves more than a 2 rating, the album does.
Great Album. Dear Bert, we want an album with nothing but hard songs. This album has a great message and you did a great job, but can we hear more of the other stuff we know you're capable of? The only bad reviews come from people looking for screamo or the young hardcore style The Used have clearly moved beyond. That being said, The Used show with tracks 1 & 4 their hard songs are there, just not the current focus. The Used did an excellent job displaying the diversity of their alternative rock songs, at the expense of the popularity. If listeners knew what genre to expect from The Used, this would be a much different conversation. The unclear genre makes it hard for would-be fans to find it.
