The Used - Imaginary Enemy (16/04/2014)
In the early 2000’s, The Used were at the forefront of the Emo music wave along with My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday and AFI. In Love and Death and Lie for the Liars were on rotation in the Walkmans (including mine) of teenagers on the fringe and songs like I Caught Fire and Buried Myself Alive tore at their hearts.
But now about 10 years later, hardcore has become the-go-to genre, and these bands we used to know and love have grown up.
Imaginary Enemy has all of the elements musically that all the old fans love, but the overlying anti-US theme is much different to what fans fell in love with back in 2003.
I was really excited when the first song Revolution kicked in, as it began with a sample from a 1940’s sounding man. The song, which frames the rest of the album, has very cliché’, simple, repetitive lyrics. A scream or two embraces moves the song into a more hardcore sort of sound. As there is a strong theme to the album, I was really hoping for instrumental links between songs but that wasn’t to be.
It seems that The Used’s target audience for this album are 12-year-old girls, who are maybe rebelling against One Direction, because they are the only people who could possibly find this album engaging. The third song on the album El-Oh-Vee-Ee is our first case in question:
Hold on wait. We have had all we can take
You can keep the money
Cause all we need is El-Oh-Vee-Ee, love
El-Oh-Vee-Ee, love
El-Oh-Vee-Ee, El-Oh-Vee-Ee, love
Was that written by one of the world’s most well known rock bands, or Hi-5?
The song A Song to Stifle Imperial Progression (A Work in Progress) isn’t much prettier:
We're saying no way, no way USA
By declaring war on terror you declare war on yourself
We're saying no way, no way USA
The war on drugs and poverty are only tools for gaining wealth
We're saying no way, no way USA
I actually agree with a lot of the points and themes the Used bring up in this album, like the downfalls of capitalism and government greed. But you cannot start a revolution with poorly written, rushed sounding and quite frankly lame emo songs.
I found this album very disappointing. It sounds like the Used, sort of, but with a lack of depth and creativity that can only be expected from a band that churns out albums almost every year.
Ryan Hyde
But now about 10 years later, hardcore has become the-go-to genre, and these bands we used to know and love have grown up.
Imaginary Enemy has all of the elements musically that all the old fans love, but the overlying anti-US theme is much different to what fans fell in love with back in 2003.
I was really excited when the first song Revolution kicked in, as it began with a sample from a 1940’s sounding man. The song, which frames the rest of the album, has very cliché’, simple, repetitive lyrics. A scream or two embraces moves the song into a more hardcore sort of sound. As there is a strong theme to the album, I was really hoping for instrumental links between songs but that wasn’t to be.
It seems that The Used’s target audience for this album are 12-year-old girls, who are maybe rebelling against One Direction, because they are the only people who could possibly find this album engaging. The third song on the album El-Oh-Vee-Ee is our first case in question:
Hold on wait. We have had all we can take
You can keep the money
Cause all we need is El-Oh-Vee-Ee, love
El-Oh-Vee-Ee, love
El-Oh-Vee-Ee, El-Oh-Vee-Ee, love
Was that written by one of the world’s most well known rock bands, or Hi-5?
The song A Song to Stifle Imperial Progression (A Work in Progress) isn’t much prettier:
We're saying no way, no way USA
By declaring war on terror you declare war on yourself
We're saying no way, no way USA
The war on drugs and poverty are only tools for gaining wealth
We're saying no way, no way USA
I actually agree with a lot of the points and themes the Used bring up in this album, like the downfalls of capitalism and government greed. But you cannot start a revolution with poorly written, rushed sounding and quite frankly lame emo songs.
I found this album very disappointing. It sounds like the Used, sort of, but with a lack of depth and creativity that can only be expected from a band that churns out albums almost every year.
Ryan Hyde