I can, hand on heart, describe The Used as my favourite band of all time, having discovered them in 2003 and fallen in love with every single track ever since. It's rare to find a band that you can't possibly fault, but I have held these boys on a pedestal since I first heard Blue and Yellow. My interest in this band doesn't fall short of anything less than worship, so any news of a new album sends me into a frenzy. From the perspective of a dedicated fan since the self-titled days, is the Imaginary Enemy a worthy opponent?
There are uneventful weeks, and then there's this week. You might have seen from my Instagram that I've been making frequent updates on my antics on GTA San Andreas, I've been so bored. Tell you what though, I've never found standing outside a girlfriend's house so much fun, I waited there for two days and she still didn't come out. I can't think why.
So as I've had a boring week, I've returned to my old music favourites to keep me sane.
The Used - Shine
Similar to the comeback we've seen from Fall Out Boy in recent weeks, this later track shows the transformations that The Used have gone through over the years. In places, they're just as heavy as they always were, but their new album Vulnerable is so much more versatile, energetic and positive, those of us who have grown up with The Used firmly planted in our hearts welcome this optimistic approach.
You, Me and Everyone We Know - Livin' Th' Dream
If you've never heard of these guys, then you've missed out on the best of pop-punk. Imagine Andrew WK with a more revengeful, Panic At The Disco twist and you've got You, Me and Everyone We Know. They didn't last long together which isn't good because I love their style, their songs really empower you no matter what mood you're in. I even persuaded my friends to sing their song Happy Birthday to me on my 18th birthday, for some reason I liked the lyrics...
Happy birthday, you're 18, the only thing that means
Is you're old enough to strip, still too young to have a grip
On the high cost of each dollar, the impact of your father
On every shitty guy you'll date
Every piss poor decision you'll make...
Falling In Reverse - Pick Up The Phone
If Ronnie Radke phoned me, I'm pretty sure I'd pick it up. This is pure FIR, and it gets stuck in your head within seconds. If you don't want to be imagining Ronnie naked all night, don't listen to this.
Escape The Fate - Issues
Ronnie Radke's ex-band Escape The Fate, in my eyes, improved when he left, but that's only because I love Craig Mabbit's vocals with a passion akin to the fires of hell. This is one catchy anthem to teenage angst, but as you can tell from this week's playlist - angst is back in fashion.
So what have you been listening to this week, eh? Let me know in the comments!
Alas, another week is over. This week I've probably been more busy than before, essays here and essays there. I'm procrastinating one right this minute, but through no fault of my own, I've lost enthusiasm, so in order to bring it back, I write blog posts.
So my playlist for this week hasn't been all that creative, adventurous or even startling, but they're all connected by their evocative, rather morbid music videos.
Fall Out Boy - The Phoenix.
The video for this new song came out on Monday, and I sneakily watched it in my lecture because I was just too excited. However, the room was bright and my laptop brightness was down, so I assumed I was watching Patrick Stump writhing around on a table. I even tweeted that it was turning me on a little bit. I then felt disgusted for myself when I rewatched it that night and saw the cutting off of his hand. That's DEFINITELY not what I saw the first time around! I'm a lot less turned on by that now.
However, enough about the video, the song is just what I was waiting for from the new FOB album, it's a majestic return to everything I used to love them for - the powerful revenge themes. I'll be honest, I was a tad concerned with the release of My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark that the entire album was going to be dance-associated, like Patrick's solo career, but thankfully The Phoenix rose from the ashes and lifted my spirits again. These lyrics are up there with the best FOB creations out there, just the cry of 'put on your war paint' is powerful and evocative.
Alice Cooper - Bed Of Nails.
When I have a bad day, I put this song on and I instantly grin, regardless of where I am, on a crowded bus or walking down a busy high street. It's the most hideously disguised sex song, 'I'm gonna drop you like a hammer on a bed of nails', come off it Alice, we all know what you're thinking. It's the cheesiness of the lyrics that make it more amusing and suggestive, if he was skirting around the subject, I'd have probably kicked him out of bed by now.
Disclaimer: I'd never kick Alice Cooper out of bed.
Especially not after this music video.
The Used - Blood On My Hands.
In the wake of the MCR split (yes, I'm still rattling on about it), I've come to realise that my only favourite band is still together, and that's The Used. I've loved these guys for a decade and with every album they've only improved. I received some criticism over the FOB return that I was supporting their new material when it was clearly so drastically different from their old tracks, but having seen The Used's career develop, it's a perfectly natural progression for a punk rock band to end up making the music they do now, and it's fine, because I love their new music, I've grown up along with them and to ignore their new material would be to disregard the band entirely. They're still the ones making the music, they've not become different people. Anyway, Blood On My Hands is the track that defines The Used's change from the heavy emotional start to where they are now - heavy and after revenge.
The video is priceless too, if you've ever felt there was no justice in the world for people such as online predators or the people who exact revenge upon those predators, then you might want to watch this video.
I can safely say The Used are my favourite band because there's not one of their tracks I dislike, I can't say a bad word about them.
Except maybe that they haven't headlined a tour here for a while...
So that's it for hard-hitting music videos this week, what have you been listening to lately?
Music videos have changed my life, that's a fact. But it takes a lot for a video to make me stand back and rethink life. Eminem's Like Toy Soldiers made me weep as a teenager, and The Darkness' Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End) made every single Christmas perfect, but what videos changed me?
1. 30 Seconds To Mars - From Yesterday
This will always be my No. 1 favourite video of ALL TIEM. I'm sure you've guessed why already. It's set in China, filmed in the Forbidden City in Beijing, and it's set around the time of Emperor Puyi, who I'm about to write a 5000 word essay on. Every aspect of this video is perfection - the costumes, the setting, the culture clashes, the flawless direction, everything.
2. My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade
As an all-time fan of the Black Parade album, this shouldn't be a surprise entry. The idea of the Patient moving on to the world where the Black Parade come to collect the lost souls still astounds me. This song stole my heart as a teenager and I don't even want it back, it's in a better place with MCR.
3. The Used - I Caught Fire
The video that defined my teenage years, I Caught Fire brought me into a world where The Used existed, and it's a much better world than before. This song in itself gave me so much confidence as a teenager, and instantly raised my standards impossibly high for future relationships. The video showed me that Bert McCracken was my future husband, at whatever cost, I was going to marry him.
I'm still waiting for him.
4. Fall Out Boy - What A Catch, Donnie
First off, who's excited they're back together? I AM! I missed out on tickets for the London gig but in all honesty, I'm just glad they're back making the music I've loved since I was 11.
This video would be me if I had enough money for a boat. Just drifting between places, living with a seagull. Life couldn't get much better than that. This song morphs together all the greatest songs from their back catalogue and in turn creates possibly the greatest song they've ever made. What's great about Fall Out Boy is their immortality, this song brought other singers like Brendon Urie from Panic At The Disco and the great Elvis Costello to sing the top lines from songs such as Dance Dance. It's perfection.
5. Foxy Shazam - Unstoppable
Don't let the thumbnail put you off, it's only Eric Nally's backside. What a backside, I might add.
Along with the song, this video glues a smile on my face for the entire day. I'm so grateful I saw them perform this song live, because it's one of those songs I'll remember for years to come and it'll never, ever get boring.
The video defines Foxy Shazam as a band - breaking the mould. It speaks for itself. It's fantastic.
6. Queen - These Are The Days Of Our Lives
You might be wondering why I picked this over classics such as Bohemian Rhapsody and I Want To Break Free, but the truth is I find those videos come second to the ultimate emotion and beauty that is These Are The Days. While it breaks my heart to see Freddie Mercury at the end of his era, when he whispers 'I still love you', I instantly smile through it all and it's one of the very few videos that gives me perspective on life, how short it is, and how we have to live while we're here, because nobody knows when the pen's going to run out of ink drawing out our timeline.
7. Death Cab For Cutie - Title and Registration
Strangely enough, I'm the most squeamish girl in the world, yet I love this video of a paper open heart surgery procedure because of its emotional value. The direction of this video is amazing, and the paper organs are little works of art. This band are so criminally underrated, so if you've never heard of them, please, I implore you, give this video a watch.
8. Maroon 5 - Payphone
I used to have a recurring dream that I was running away from the police. Not that it's a sign of a guilty conscience or anything, I just have an irrational phobia of police authorities.
I fell in love with this video not only because Adam Levine's all geeky one minute then all hot and rogue-y the next, but because of the motif of escaping a monotonous life to find another.
Of course, I couldn't forget the song. Easily becoming my favourite song, it reminds me of everything that I am. Escaping my life to find another.
9. Poets Of The Fall - Carnival Of Rust
I discovered this band in college and while I haven't heard many of their songs, this video absolutely changed my life. When I was writing my coursework, I took inspiration from this idea of a carnival of nightmares. The man in the fortune teller's box was a genius idea - what if the fortune teller is trapped inside that box forever, and all he can do is warn others that their fate could be similar?
Psy - Gangnam Style
And finally, the humorous entry. The novelty's worn off for most, but for me, it just keeps getting better and better. I was known in school for catching onto crazes such as Crazy Frog quite late and then consistently annoying the shit out of everyone by putting them on repeat years later. Gangnam is no exception. I'm still as much in love as the first time.
