The Used - Lies For The Liars

Reprise


4 out of 5 stars

Though I enjoyed The Used’s last album, In Love and Death, it lacked a certain edginess that I enjoyed on their debut release.  I’m not opposed to change and growth within a band like some are (judging from fan reviews I’ve read), but it’s nice to hear touches of the elements and style that drew me to a band in the first place. With the The Used’s third album, Lies for the Liars, the Utah-based foursome has recaptured that edge and still managed to showcase some new sounds.

Lies for the Liars opens with “The Ripper”, an aptly titled track that rips into the listener’s ears with furious guitar riff supplied by Quinn Allman and vocalist Bert McCracken’s attention-grabbing opening line, “Time kills, go ask Jesus.” Midway through the second verse, the band, which also includes Jeph Howard (bass) and Dan Whitesides (drums*), drops out and leaves only the vocal harmonies, which offer a short-lived break from the song’s intensity, then delivers the listener back into the thick of the action.

The album’s first single, “Pretty Handsome Awkward,” is a solid radio friendly track with a driving guitar riff, some of McCracken’s trademark screams and a well constructed chorus. It’s not the best song on the album, but is a good representation of it to draw listeners in. 

“The Bird and the Worm” sounds like a song that might be featured in a Tim Burton film (music by Danny Elfman, of course). After a brief intro highlighted by a string section, the song breaks into a mid tempo charge to the chorus, which is one of the more interesting musical arrangements on the album. It’s an eerie, yet theatrical, combination of thick half speed drum hits and a multitude of vocal arrangements, all while the strings play on in the background.

“Earthquake” is a ballad of sorts with subdued verse music, lamenting lyrics (“Baby I’m not alright when you go, I’m not fine/Please be all mine) and a bright chorus which brings back fond memories of “Buried Myself Alive,” a great track from their self-titled debut. Of course, The Used can’t write a ballad without including the theme of death, emphasized by McCracken begging the question, “Have I murdered our love?”

This idea is reinforced in the album’s closer, “Smother Me” a love song showcasing the band’s softer side. The lyrics range from the simple, yet sweet “Let me be the one who calls you ‘baby’ all the time” to the endearing, yet disturbing, “Now I can breathe/Turn my insides out and smother me.”

My personal favorite track is “Liar (Burn in Hell).” The opening guitar riff reminds me of sirens and sounds with urgency over a build up of snare drum blasts. The music is fast, loud and everything that I enjoy about this band. The lyrics may be clichéd at times (“Liar, Liar pants on fire”), but McCracken’s intense, screaming delivery more than makes up for that.

As the trend seems to be these days, The Used has released different bonus tracks depending on where you purchase the album.  Some of the tracks are just as good, if not better, than select album cuts. While “Devil Beside You” (included on the Best Buy version, along with “Dark Days”) is a generic pop-punk song that could have been written/performed by any number of bands today, “Slit Your Own Throat” (available through F.Y.E.) is a savagely good ride that is high energy from start to finish. Target, i-tunes, and Circuit City also have their own bonus tracks.

Regardless of what version of the album you buy, Lies for the Liars is a good third effort from The Used and may offer some respite for those disappointed with their previous release. 

*Dan Whitesides is The Used’s new drummer; however, Dean Butterworth played all drums on Lies for the Liars.

Reviewed by: Ryan Labbe | June 2007