Vulnerable

Back in February I highlighted a single from this album, and mentioned how eagerly I was awaiting the drop of the album in its entirety. Whatever excitement I felt then was definitely no where near as excited as I really should've been.

Album: Vulnerable
Artist: The Used

Have you ever enjoyed how catchy a pop song can be, but loathed the actual song itself due to its stylistic pop-genre elements? Here, The Used has taken the catchy, desirable traits from pop and combined them seamlessly with their well-known "sludge-rock" type style, to use a term coined by their singer. It's honestly rather remarkable, and pretty dang hard to stop listening to.

Bert McCracken's vocals are driving and distinct as always, and as per usual the instrumentation backing him up is flawless and complements the vocal tracking so well. They aren't just drum and guitar tracks laid down to simply backup the frontward melody; They are individual parts each with their own power that all combine to form something quite extraordinary.

Some standout tracks include;
• I Come Alive
• Together Burning Bright
• Hands and Faces
• Hurt No One
• Kiss It Goodbye
• Put Me Out
• Now That You're Dead
• Machine

There are even acoustic versions of a few songs that further highlight McCracken's vocal abilities, and are also surprisingly catchy in their own right. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that no matter what portion of this album you listen to, be it a handful of tracks or the whole thing, you'll come away impressed and with a new tune in your cranium. Unless I've seriously misjudged my audience here, I can absolutely guarantee this won't be a waste of your time in any way whatsoever.