1. The Used
The final band on my list is The Used. The boys from Utah have been around since 2001 and have never really reached the heights of fame and success that they should have. The Used have released five studio albums, the most successful of which was their second, In Love and Death, in 2004. One thing I love about The Used is their ability to change, much like Shinedown, The Used change with each album but manage to maintain their original sound. Their first album, self-titled, was described as post-hardcore, emo and pop punk whereas the latest, Vulnerable, was much more structured while featuring tiny elements of dub-step. No two albums sound the same but they all resonate The Useds unique sound. This could immediately put many people off but, as someone who dislikes all kinds of dance music, it wasnt off-putting for me and by no means ruined Vulnerable. I would say their best albums are Lies for the Liars and Artwork, The Used dont have a bad album but those are my favourites. Lies for the Liars was an awesome album featuring some of their most creative sounds to date, from synthesisers to string sections and even a soda can. For reference to these odd noises coming together just listen to the Bird and the Worm. Artwork was a much heavier effort from the band and lyrically focused on drugs, religion and politics. The album flows incredibly well, each song usually bleeding into the other seamlessly. This album, at times, sounds like a mess, literally. Intentionally, The Used wanted the album to sound like a bunch of noise that is hard to decipher but after a few listens the greatness of each song quickly shines through. Not for every fan of The Used, Artwork was a step darker but as good as anything theyve done. The Used have a litany of great songs, too many to list but I recommend Pretty Handsome Awkward, The Taste of Ink, Kissing You Goodbye, Blood on My Hands, The Ripper, All That I got, Cut Up Angels and I Come Alive. Bert McCracken, frontman, has one of the most unique voices Ive ever heard, which Ive said a lot in this article but its true. McCracken has a great scream and yet a very emotional voice that I find hard to compare to any other artist, and even a suitably creepy laugh. His lyrics are often nonsensical, to the likes of me, but still sound weird, beautiful and poetic. For voice comparisons listen to Hard to Say and Born to Quit, great songs which highlight McCrackens range. The Used are very unique and unlike any other band I know. They might not be to everyones taste but theyre at least worth checking out. The Used are definitely one of the most underrated bands of the decade, more so than most for how different they are to everything else. The Used round off my list of 10 underrate bands, which was in no particular order. I love every band on this list and think each deserve more recognition and success than theyve gotten to date. Obviously theyre my choices, so not everyone will agree but each band is undeniably talented. Agree with my choices? Disagree? Which bands/artists do you believe are underrated? Sound off in the comments below!
C Dillon
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Journalism student from Ireland. Interested in video games, books, rock music, films, comics, TV and wrestling - the basics! Check out my Twitter for PS4 screenshots and random comments!
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