By Annie Sferrazza

The recently released CD, In Love and Death, by the band The Used, should brings about several mixed emotions from their listening audience.

If you were a fan of their previous, self-titled album, you may or may not be a little disappointed with the scattered pop-punk overtones of some of the songs and lack of excessive screaming that one typically heard on their previous works. There is no doubt that this CD is yet another great album to sing and dance along to in the quiet of your room. However, this unfortunately means that the rougher edge heard in their previous works, for the most part, is missing on this one. This transition, though, could possibly open up the band’s fan base to a much larger audience, for these songs are a little more toned down and easily likable to those who are recently getting themselves accustomed to the pop-punk or even screamo scene.

Whether or not this will turn away any of the old fans has yet to be seen, but it seems as though some are acquiring an appreciation for the changes. Fans of bands such as Hoobastank and the more recent releases by Blink 182 may be likely to enjoy this record.

The slower songs on In Love And Death have a way of clinching the listener until the very last second of the song, while the more upbeat songs are fun and scattered with screaming lyrics-they are probably the ones you will want to put on repeat a couple times.

The Used sings on all the usual topics: life, love and heartache, but they do manage to put a bit of an interesting twist on each one of their songs, making them uniquely their own. The eleventh track, “Lunacy Fringe,” is not something you would normally hear on the average screamo CD, but it adds a different aspect to the entire album, even with the simplicity of the instruments.

As for the lyrical aspect, the creativity and overall writing skills have their highs and lows, just like any album, but the songs are generally relatable, making this a good album overall, and one that any old fan or any newcomer may want to add to his or her CD collection.

With The Used’s creativity, catchy beats, heart-felt lyrics and the songs’ ability to play over and over again in your head, In Love and Death seems as if it may take the four-member band from Utah to new heights in their careers.