Genre 10 - Emo/Post Hardcore Albums: #5 The Used

David Ames digs through his music collection to count down his top ten favourite albums in a specific music genre. For his second genre choice, David gets emotional about Emo/Post Hardcore. At #5, it's The Used...



The next genre on this list takes me back to my junior high and high school days. Few genres can better express the feelings of an angsty teenager than Emo/post hardcore. A lot of bands get lumped into this genre so be prepared for some music you may not necessarily feel are good representatives of the style. Like bands that were lumped together with the grunge era, many bands that came out in the late 90s and early 2000s were associated with this movement. For my purposes here today, I am talking about a group of albums that were influential to me at that time and from then on. Emotional and usually clever/intelligent lyricism is a staple of this genre, along with punk and pop influences. There are even elements of screamo present on this list. Hopefully you will recognize some of these albums and if you’re like me, the part of your brain that recognizes nostalgia will be buzzing with activity .

Find the other albums in David's Genre 10 Emo/Post Hardcore

#5: The Used – The Used



The Used was another of those bands that I discovered half way through high school. Unlike most of the bands on this list, The Used incorporates a lot of screaming, especially on the first album. I remember watching them live and seeing Bert McCracken scream so hard that he made himself throw up. Right then, I knew I was in for a show. They were amazing live and although their sound changed quite a bit over the years, their first album will always be part of the soundtrack of my youth. This record is gritty and raw and aggressive and the music comes together in a great mix of complicated technical playing and huge, full chord choruses. There is also a great mix of both heavy and softer songs for the listener who doesn’t like full on aggression. Check this album out and enjoy all that teenage angst and pure, sporadic energy.



Singles:



“A Box Full of Sharp Objects”









“Buried Myself Alive”









“The Taste of Ink”









“Blue and Yellow”









Best non-single track:



“On My Own”

Image - Amazon