In Love and Death [Clean] [Edited] (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Quinn Allman (vocals, guitar); Bert McCracken (vocals, piano, keyboards); Branden Steineckert (vocals, drums, percussion, programming); Jeph Howard, Sean Ingram (vocals); Danny Lohner, Joshua Eustis (programming).

Audio Mixer: John Feldmann.

Recording information: Foxy Studios, Los Angeles, CA.

Photographer: Seth Smoot.

With 2004's IN LOVE AND DEATH, emo icons the Used go to the next level in polishing up their production without losing any of the raw emotion that's defined their work. For their second studio album, the Utah quartet taps into the same degree of angst, but with the perspective of people who've been immersed in a world gilded by fame and success. "Light with a Sharpened Edge" and "Take It Away" reverberate with desperation amid waves of pile-driving riffs and singer Bert McCracken's howl.

Still, there's no doubt that the Used have embraced more of a pop approach, be it the eminently catchy "I Caught Fire," with its uber-hooks and choruses, or the loping "Cut Up Angels," which is one Joe Perry guitar solo away from being a late-era Aerosmith outtake. Most impressive is the Used's stylistic risk-taking (glockenspiel and soothing vocals on the lo-fi "Yesterday's Feelings," the Burt Bacharach-meets-the Cure oddity "Lunacy Fringe," complete with strings and brushed drums). On IN LOVE AND DEATH, the Used succeeds in adding yet another twist to the emo aesthetic.

By 2004 it was getting a little difficult to tell groups like AFI, My Chemical Romance, Thrice, or the Used apart. All mixed the energy of punk, emo-derived passion, and metal sensibilities into a well-played, expensively-produced package. But the end product often ended up sounding a little similar. Though its heart is eventually lost amidst the guiding elements of the genre, the Used's In Love and Death does make some impressive moves away from those very same tenets, showing some welcome restraint and even some rocktastic energy. "I Caught Fire" is irresistible, because it uses its big-budget filters and six-string layers as an advantage, building tension for the song's triumphant chorus release. "Take It Away" sees the inherent, timeless power of a solid riff, and actually revitalizes the ridiculously played-out singing guy/screaming guy dynamic that so many groups in this scene faithfully rely on. "Cut Up Angels", too, is a nice departure, offering fans a modified pop gem that lightens the album's mood considerably. Unfortunately, it still sticks to formula. There are the overwrought string and piano sections, impassioned lyrics, dense arrangements of metal chording and tortured screaming. These sounds have their place, no question. But if all that depression and heartbreak begins to bleed into the diary of the next guy over, it becomes less unique. Still, The Used have made some strides with In Love and Death toward a fuller sound. and it'll be interesting to see what their next move is. [The album was also issued in an edited form.] ~ Johnny Loftus minimize