The Used

With May's Lies for the Liars, the Used debuted its new sound: a slicker, harder, radio-readier version of the now-overblown screamo juggernaut it helped usher in. The results were laughable. But get the Used onstage, away from studio slickery and trickery, and the diminutive Bert McCracken and his bandmates still deliver the goods with the same urgent, nearly desperate, energy they banked on to get them the hell out of Orem, Utah. Providing McCracken's not puking, that is. Or bad-mouthing exes and former friends. There's always been plenty of creatively productive drama festering behind the scenes, but here's hoping the Used are over the over-dramatics from here on out.