Review by Shannon Shumaker
Clocking in at seventeen monstrous tracks in length and featuring a wide array of sounds and personal topics, The Canyon, the newest effort from The Used is easily the band’s most ambitious and diverse album to date. From the emotional acoustic opener to the poppy lead single, “Over and Over Again” with some chaotic high energy tracks and experimental sounds peppered in between, The Canyon will certainly take listeners on an emotional journey all while proving that The Used are still opening up and exploring their sound well over fifteen years into their career.
“For You” is the album’s emotionally vulnerable opener, and for a moment, you might feel like doing a double take – it sounds unlike any other song that The Used have ever created. Frontman Bert McCracken bares his soul in this incredibly personal track, an ode to his late friend, Tregen Lewis. In addition to the personal subject matter, “For You” also features quite possibly his best vocal performance to date. It’s a striking opener that shows quite a bit of promise for the rest of the album.
Quickly proving The Canyon‘s versatility is the echoey and high energy “Cold War Telescreen,” which contrasts with the stripped down and emotional opener. Right off the bat, it’ll be obvious that this is a much brighter and poppier sounding album than The Used’s back catalogue, but the change in sound isn’t necessarily unwelcome, and it balances the darker and more personal lyrical content perfectly. Although it might come as a shock for those who are still stuck in the self-titled or In Love And Death era, The Canyon does mark some great progression for The Used.
Lyrically, though, The Canyon falls right in line with the band’s previous work, touching on difficult and personal subject matter, most notably Lewis’ suicide a little over a year ago and the loss of McCracken’s ex-girlfriend Kate, who overdosed while pregnant with his child 13 years ago. Connecting these two integral moments in McCracken’s life is “Broken Windows,” which is sure to stand out with the striking and purposeful line, “You gave me some drugs just like the drugs that killed her.”
Sonically, The Canyon is a wild ride as well. Although there are a few tracks here and there that do feel like fillers (which is bound to happen on such a lengthy record), the band really takes advantage of the fact that they do have so many songs to experiment with. For instance, the key change in “Funeral Post” is sure to grab your attention, and the cleaner guitar work on “Upper Falls” is some of the strongest on the album.
Two of the most explosive songs on the album come right after the halfway mark, and for fans who are hoping for something more like the band’s older work, “Selfies In Aleppo” and “Moving The Mountain (Odysseus Surrenders)” definitely deliver. “Selfies In Aleppo” is a much darker, more aggressive track than those surrounding it, driven by deep bass, frantic guitar and gritty vocals from McCracken, adding some much needed ferocity to the album. That high energy only grows in “Moving The Mountain,” but from there, things quickly transition back into a brighter sound with the catchy single, “Over and over Again.”
The exploration of sound on the album as a whole is incredibly refreshing, especially coming from a band that has been a staple in the music scene for so long. The ambient “The Quiet War” for instance, seems relatively unassuming but winds up being of the most unique songs on the album, even featuring some rap influenced vocals alongside a soaring chorus.
Bringing The Canyon full circle are its three powerful closing tracks. “The Nexus” is a sure to be anthem, featuring the standout line, “We are The Used but not defeated.” Then comes the emotional, “About You (No Songs Left To Sing)” and “The Mouth Of The Canyon,” which perfectly encompasses the entire album. Lyrically, The Canyon features some of the band’s most vulnerable and powerful work to date, and upon one listen, it can definitely be a little daunting. It’s difficult to digest seventeen songs all at once, but The Canyon isn’t meant for a casual, one-time listen. Dive deep into this record and the stories that McCracken tells in it, and you will certainly find something impactful.
Compared to their early material, The Canyon might not even sound like The Used, but when you look at the band’s musical journey over the years, it is a very mature and timely progression of sound. Fifteen years after the release of their self-titled album, The Used have created something incredibly refreshing and emotional, proving that they’re still growing and evolving both sonically and personally, even now.
LISTEN TO: “Broken Windows” or “Selfies In Aleppo”
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE USED: https://www.facebook.com/TheUsed/