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This Issue 02/15/2007

Also in this issue

• spy vs. spy
• ashley tisdale
• Oh Snap!
• The used
• Daytripper: Grocery

Considering The Used haven't released a new record since 2004, any release seems long-overdue. But it's unlikely that Berth, a live album, will satisfy fans like new material - especially with the bands next LP, originally set for release last year, postponed to April. Besides its inopportune release date, Berth lacks the genuine energy that the band usually shares with crowds during live shows. For a live record, Berth features far too many softer, ballad-type songs. Livelier songs "Bulimic" or "A Box Full of Sharp Objects" could have replaced "Hard to Say" with the much-needed energy of their self-titled first record. The rest of the setlist is exceptional, but suffers from a production that fails to capture the live show aesthetic. The crowd noise exaggerates an arena rock feel on the album that is not usually associated with The Used. Not all energy is lost, though, as is apparent on the opening track "Take it Away" and "I'm a Fake." Overall, the record does not show The Used at their best. Let's hope their best does resurface when their new full-length finally drops in April.