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The Used - Artwork Audio CD

A fair review of the The Used "Artwork" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Used reviews here, or go back to the The Used tabs.

The Used Band: The Used
Title: Artwork
Rating:
Release Date: 2009-08-18
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Blood on My Hands 2: Empty with You 3: Born to Quit 4: Kissing You Goodbye 5: Sold My Soul 6: Watered Down 7: On the Cross 8: Come Undone 9: Meant to Die 10: Best of Me 11: Men Are All the Same

The Slump Is Over
For once though, the hype is not unfounded. The Used's latest offering has a lot of hype surrounding it, perhaps due to a weaker preceding couple of releases. This album has a much more solid feel than any of its predecessors. It manages to be gritty and heavy without actually being too much of either. There is much less of a pop element than was present on In Love and Death & Lies For The Liars, which leaves you with a heavier rock based sound. Lies For the Liars was very much an experimental release from the band filled with a lot of random beats and unfamiliar vocal styles. Artwork, however, is the most solid record the Used have released since their self-titled. They really stick to what they know and don't stray too much from it. The Used themselves have described this album as `gross pop' and have said in interviews how this album is heavy without being too loud, which strangely is spot on. This is their first CD that hasn't been produced by John Feldmann, instead they've chosen Matt Squire to take the reins. This was a conscious decision by the band to change their direction and freshen things up.

From this record you can clearly see how the band has evolved. One noticeable element of the album is the low heavy bass lines. The somewhat poppy bass lines are gone and now blend really well with the heavy crunching guitars and drums. This album is the first full album that The Used's new drummer Dan Whitesides has played on; he doesn't disappoint. The lyrics are much darker and closer to the roots of the original CD, there's no 'Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire' here. Lyrically there are a lot of blood and death references. One clear example of this is from the album's debut single 'Blood On My Hands', but they are frequent in such songs as 'Never Meant To Die' as well as being heavily featured in the imagery surrounding the release. The overall balance of the CD is good, although it has to be said the songs don't vary a huge deal, which is actually a good thing when the songs are this good. You may find that on your first listen this album passes you by, but don't let it. Give it another good listen and you'll really start to appreciate what's to offer from this CD. The 'lightest' song is 'Kissing You Goodbye' which although isn't as heavy as the other songs, it doesn't seem out of place and is a good solid ballad. I would say though that it seems like it should be positioned at the end of the album, rather than the middle.

There are quite a lot of standout tracks. The lead single from the album 'Blood On My Hands' is a real catchy sing along track which will be stuck in your head for days. One song that perhaps may be the next full single is 'Empty With You' as it's an anthemic song with all the right hooks. Another stand out track is 'The Best Of Me', which is both eery, heavy and catchy. Other notable songs include, 'Come Undone', 'Sold My Soul' and 'Men Are All The Same'. The Used have really managed to turn things around with this release. There's plenty more life in this band yet.

Track Ratings:
1. Blood On My Hands - 8/10
2. Empty With You - 9/10
3. Born To Quit - 7/10
4. Kissing You Goodbye - 6/10
5. Sold My Soul - 8/10
6. Watered Down - 6/10
7. On The Cross - 7/10
8. Come Undone - 9/10
9. Meant To Die - 8/10
10. The Best Of Me - 9/10
11. Men Are All The Same - 8/10 .


Nice album
Gone are the gimmicky sound snippets they injected into In Love & Death and Lies For Liars. This is a good record. I did not take to Lies For Liars and Shallow Believer. I consider their first album to be one of the best discs ever. Art Work is an excellent batch of songs and the songs are rattling around in my head in a good way.


You can see a complete list of all The Used discography, or go back to the The Used tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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