But enough about my vices, I have an album to review, and tonight, it is a band that I enjoy immensely: The Used. However, in recent years, life has cause me to drift away from following them as I used to. In fact, The Used has managed to release a whole two albums that I had no awareness of whatsoever. Decidedly, this is unacceptable, so I will be reviewing the latter of these two albums, Ocean of the Sky (2013).
Heh. Look at the bone.
And providing the liver pummeling tonight will be Ancient Age whiskey, my girlfriend's preferred cheap liquor, because I am poor and thus, drinking on a budget. Paired with Dr. Pepper, it actually tastes quite swell.
A match made in... Purgatory?
At this point, I am a drink and a half in and feeling the affects, so if I'm going to survive this with any amount of coherency, we should get started now. On to the review!
Album:
Alcohol:
Ancient Age Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (with Dr. Pepper)
Feedback opening into a nice riff, and a little laugh from Bert as the disc opens with Iddy Biddy. A fast paced tune that has all the hallmarks of a The Used tune with a more honed in sound. Nothing spectacular, but fun. Breakdown and build is nice, and I love when it kicks back in. They let the noise breakdown linger just long enough to make it impactful when they bring everything back bigger and better.
Feedback carries to an almost metal opening to "Quixotica". The use of feedback and noise in this album thus far is amazing. It's like if Nirvana recorded In Utero to actually be a hit album instead of the the best album that is hard to listen to. The Used does some totally cool things in the bridge here that remind me why I will swear up and down these guys are SO much more than the "emo" band too many people write them off ass. A collapse ending feels like it is a bit early to happen on the album, but fits the song beautifully.
The transition into "Thought Criminal" is beautiful as is the song itself. I've never thought Bert to be an attractive man, but I would make sweet, sweet love to those vocal chords, and they are on display in "Thought Criminal". He is such a versatile front man. The keys are a nice touch especially with keeping a heavy guitar tone behind them. And the epicness grows with the guitar overtaking the piano. The Used does this so well. Taking things from gritty and borderline noise rock (done well. It's hard to do) to soft and tender but never in a corny way. Ending with a grungy piano is lovely.
And going right back into the feel of grunge with a really cool almost swing rhythm on the title track. A good feeling track. The chorus has a little bit of a meh feel, but the lyrics are powerful. They are definitely meant to shine here, so I can respect that although the music swells, it doesn't give me the explosion I love so well. Third chorus building into... Oh... A drop off. But wait.. Noise and bass swell. Feedback... Ooo's from Bert... Drop out and noise. You have my attention. Now what will you do with it? Abrupt cut off... Studio talking. In some language? I'm not sure, and I'm lost... Drop off again. "shut the fuck up" is heard. Static. And I'm completely lost. <drinking during wait> The samples are cool, but way too long... Toooooo Long... The feedback has lost it's affect...
And with nothing more to that song, we move to the subtle entry of "Tethys". This opens with an electronic swell moving into an electronic beat. I'm bored-ish at this point, but anxiously awaiting where this will go. The track is rapidly switching feels, but feels like it is still moving with purpose. Elctro-organ chords ring with sounds coming and going. I'm going to be honest. I'm starting to lose interest. The Used, I need something soon or I am going to start drunk rambling... Something? Anything? Wait? Sounded like a beat made from sampling a copying machine and then bass swells again... I think this would be better with a different drug of choice. Mushrooms maybe? It's, like, trippy and cool, but doesn't really DO anything. Seriously, I'm six minutes in now, and there is no coherency at all to whats happening. Just random electronic ideas loosely strung through out--copy machine again. And it's gone. Replaced by-- back. Gone again... This is exhausting. I'm gonna apologize guys. I don't think this was recorded with any intention of being listened to by humans. This is the sort of thing you'd think you'd experience as you die. Or trip so hard you think you were experiencing death. Two drinks down in this song alone. I just looked up Tethys, and apparently, she was a sea goddess. I suppose I get the feel they were going for, but this is something that has been done a lot, and better. Sorry, guys, I was expecting more. This reminds me of a Tool album: You have this number of tracks, but only half of that is listenable song material. Like, I get the cool flowing transitional tracks, that's part of what makes an album, but when I'm being subjected to fifteen minutes of check-out-the-cool-sounds-I-can-make-on-my-thousand-dollar-Casio, I become a little disenchanted. Dropped to almost silence... And the bass swells are back... And now... Oh, wait, still bass swells and synthy noised. Ugh. Broken glass. And no, I didn't break one out of frustration, there was a random sample of a glass breaking. No reason, or even something to coming out of it. Just the kuh-shhh of a glass breaking. Feedback swell into nothing And I've goddamned lost hope if your still with me (and I doubt you are), I hope you have as much alcohol as me, because I would have shut this off along time ag--Oh, wait, it's over. I'm drunk. The end.
Final Thoughts:
I don't dislike The Used. They are amazing. But to release an EP with 2 and a half good songs and roughly 25 minutes of what the fuck is just not acceptable. I appreciate what you did early in this album, but you lost me when you stopped writing music and started fucking around in the studio. I'm sure it was fun to record, but I'm now drunk and feel like punching small children. That's not really fair though, I feel like punching small children most of the time. They're, like, evil aliens who have been sent here only to annoy me. Also, they are generally soft and squishy which is easy on my fists. My delicate fists. So in conclusion, listen until The Used uses up their written material. The disc is good until then, but don't buy unless you need a sound track for your psychedelic usage. Oh, and punch small children (disclaimer: Don't punch small children, it's against the law, and feels way to satisfying).
I'm a bad person,
-Badhorse
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