Music Rant

The Used - Shallow Believer

The Used - Shallow Believer

"One man's trash is another man's treasure".

Take garage sales for instance. Have you ever seen a more disturbing display of humanity than grown men and women fighting over a $2 crock pot or a $1 lot of 50 VHS tapes (a lot that includes both "Buns of Steel" and the highly popular "Abs of Steel")?

My point is that different people have different tastes and may even be shockingly fanatical about supporting their passions.  For bands that try to lessen expectations by labeling an album a collection of "B sides" this is great news; it means that there is room for less popular music as well as a set of lightly used "Freezy Freakies"(google this if you have no idea what I am talking about)

How does The Used's latest EP of "didn't quite make the cut" songs turn out?  Amazingly well!

"Shallow Believer" is not only more commercially acceptable than the group's last effort, "Lies For The Liars", but also contains potential Top 40 radio hits. ("Tunnel", "Sick Hearts", "Sun Comes Up" come to mind)  So what if the songs absolutely, positively sound as if they belong on the band's first two full length releases? Should we care that at some points the band seem to Xerox their own melodies?  Considering those albums rocked, I dub thee forgiven!!(as opposed to unforgiven of course)

As far as I'm concerned, The Used have released an album that defies the stigma of the "B side" label and sits comfortably in the band's already impressive catalog.

Highlights include:

"Devil Beside You"
"Into My Web"
"My Pesticide"
"SickHearts"
"Tunnel"