The Used – Lies For The Liars (3 out of 5)

Now let’s take a look at the new The Used album. This one is entitled “Lies For The Liars.” As far as this band goes, the first album was great. However, it sadly broke down the barriers allowing the ever-frustrating influx of “screamo.” Actually, now that I think about it, in my mind they are the equivalent to Rage Against The Machine. Rage didn’t start the rap-metal phase, but they perfected it and no one else could do it as well. I’m not saying that The Used perfected screamo, but their first album was one of the closest things to it. Screamo, in my opinion, can’t be perfected (or at least hasn’t yet) because it sucks. Their follow-up album to their debut, “In Love And Death” was supposed to be great. Bert’s girlfriend died and he had written the majority of the album about her. It was to be an absolutely heart-wrenching, screamtastic vent for him. IT BLEW. “In Love And Death” was one of the most cliché and unoriginal pieces of emo shit that I have ever heard. I had NO hopes for their newest work, “Lies For The Liars.” However, this album really impressed me. Their first single “The Bird And The Worm” is honestly one of the best songs they have ever written. It is creepy and orchestra-driven with lyrics that I can actually listen to and say “this is pretty cool.” Much of the rest of the album seems very swing-influenced and able to be danced to. Still, their days of “In Love And Death” linger, as a few of the songs are their shitty versions of ballads. Though they have their ballads that I can hardly sit through, there is still one song that I have to skip every time it comes on. This song is called “Liar Liar (Burn In Hell).” I don’t need to describe what the song sounds like, all I have to say is that the chorus is “liar, liar, pants on fire.” Fuck you, Bert. FUCK YOU. Three out of five stars. And you are lucky to receive such. I do this partly out of pity and partly out of satisfaction that you BARELY saved yourself from “In Love And Death.”***

Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero (4 out of 5)

The album is called “Year Zero” and it is arguably the most industrial and noisiest album yet. Though I would usually be biased in this situation because I am a HUGE fan of Trent Reznor, I am going to try and be as neutral as possible. Compared to their previous albums, this stands out on the same line as their previous one, “With Teeth”. Many die-hard Nine Inch Nails fans have found distaste in these two albums and feel that Trent is losing his edge. What they need to understand is that he isn’t losing his edge, his is SOBER. Of course his music is going to sound different. He is focused! He quit drinking, picked up a pen, and wrote the album “With Teeth.” It was very different from the rest of his albums, most notably because he did something he hasn’t ever done before on any other album: he talked. In the song “Only,” he spoke much of the lyrics instead of singing them. On his newest album, “Year Zero,” he is still sober and still writing differently. This album is so alien-inspired that there seems to be an entire subculture dedicated to finding out new information on it. The physical CD itself is interesting because when you play it; the color on it changes, revealing a hidden message written on the cover. This message brings you to a website furthering the interest already grasped by NIN fans. Overall, I give this album four out of five stars, and it pains me to do so. I have the vocal melody of “Hurt” tattooed all over my right leg; trust me, it pains me to give them only four out of five stars. I only do this because, though the album is fantastic, it did not blow me away.****

Rolling Stone has lost its edge (obviously)

When did the greatest music magazine start becoming the most predictable? Being a music critic does not mean giving four out of four stars to everything that is catchy and sounds pretty. You have to actually CRITICIZE it. Pay attention to how it was recorded (the hi’s, the lo’s, too much mid, the panning, the overall quality). Pay attention to the difference between that album and the albums previously recorded by that band or artist. Research the meanings of the songs. There is so much more that goes into an album than just instruments and voices. Rolling Stone seems to have forgotten this. They are giving out four-star ratings as often as they put unqualified and undeserving celebrities on the fucking cover.