Review Summary: Retrospectively, this record is still fantastic.
Way back in the year 2013, I reviewed the sophomore effort by alt-rock band The Used, In Love And Death, and my conclusions were that it was a record with a few redeeming qualities but represented a band that felt like a one trick pony. In hindsight, I could expand upon this by saying that they tapped into the emo crowd of the time and their tendency to gravitate towards anything that sounded remotely edgy, and that songs such as I'm A Fake really helped them to explore this. In Love And Death was not a good album, yet it served a purpose. It was also when reading back through that review and cringing at how bad it read, that I decided to return to the debut by these guys, and to consider how it holds up.
Simply put, the eponymous record from this band is a thoroughly enjoyable outing, with many of the same traits recycled on the follow-up also found here but without feeling forced. Tracks such as A Box Full Of Sharp Objects show how teenage angst can be channelled into music properly, whilst Maybe Memories has a lot of emotion behind it. The riffs to these two songs are also surprisingly good, whilst fan favorite The Taste Of Ink shows off the more mellow side that they would eventually attempt to recapture with All That I've Got. Bulimic is another highlight here. The vocals are one aspect of this record that I feel really add another dimension to it, slotting into the whiny emo market but without ever feeling forced. There is a lot of passion behind every lyric delivered, even if those lyrics are cringy enough to be a distraction. Also of note here is the production, which ensures every single note of the record is crystal clear.
This was a significant part of my teenage years and is an album that I remembered fondly, and it almost holds up. However, being objective, the vocals are a little off putting if one is not accustomed to this type of music, the lyrics arent great, and the song writing can feel formulaic at times. However, the aforementioned highlights make this well worth a listen.
