Siulelbon’s Media Blog

I used to like The Used. When their first single, 2002’s “Box Full of Sharp Objects”, hit the airwaves I immediately ran out to the record store. Soon after, I found their self-titled debut to be one of the albums with the highest rotation in my collection.

However, the music I listened to in high school was definitely not what one would call “top quality.” Five years later I find that I had lumped the album with the likes of Rufio and other bands I care not to name; my section of guilty pleasures and nostalgic bands.

A couple weeks ago, my friend and I were listening to my iPod on shuffle and a song by The Used came on. As I reached for the “next” button he stopped me and told me that he hadn’t heard the song in a while and that he was, like me, once infatuated with the band. So we listened and sang along and even tried to scream along. Not much later we were listening to the whole album. As it ended we decided to give the sophomore album “In Love and Death” a spin. Let’s just say it was a short one. I figured that it was simply because we had no nostalgia for the album and because we didn’t listen to it quite as much as we did the first. That, or it was simply a worse album. It nonetheless put the band back in my mind.

What had happened to The Used? I knew the goings-on of their brother band My Chemical Romance, who I still listen to, but nothing about The Used. So, I wikied them. According to Wikipedia, the band had an album set for release on May 22 of this year entitled “Lies for the Liars”. The lead single, “The Bird and the Worm” had been released in late March. For the sake of keeping up with the band I listened to the single. I, honestly, wasn’t expecting much. I expected loud guitars and Bert switching from singing to screaming fairly often, the typical Used single. I am happy to say I was wrong to think that.

The first few seconds made me think that I was listening to a piece from a Danny Elfman soundtrack. Low, driving strings and the sound of a creaking door provide a lead-in to Bert’s voice, then the guitars kick in. I was surprised to hear the strings come in again throughout the song, and prominently, too. Not only are the strings heavy, but there is an epic-sounding choir which adds a gothic and menacing air to the song. Even more surprising is that the lyrics are interesting, too. They point to a fear of rejection that cripples some people. They’re dark and Bert’s singing makes them sound even brutal. “The Bird and the Worm” is an extremely well-layered symphonic piece of rock music.

I now find myself looking forward to the May 22 release of “Lies for the Liars”. I think I’m infatuated… Again.

Download the song. You’ll hear what I mean.

Follow the link:
The Used – “The Bird and the Worm”