Imaginary Enemy in Bloomington, MN

The sixth long-player from the shape-shifting, stalwart, Utah-bred punk rockers opens with a song called "Revolution" that houses the lyric "From now on I pledge allegiance to a world that's so much different/where no one suffers/everyone is free." It's an uplifting image, and one that
Bert McCracken
and company haven't always evoked, but more than a decade into their career, the
Used
have carved out their own unique niche in the crowded post-hardcore/screamo punk scene, and have earned the right to reflect on what they've been raging against since their 2002 debut. Working again with longtime producer
John Feldman
,
Imaginary Enemy
burns bright and fast, tearing through familiar (as in largely generic), classic anti-establishment punk themes with the subtlety of a mace to the face, but there's a wild, anything-goes spirit (and a genuine yearning for change) that guides much of the material, suggesting that the studio may have housed a sizeable window to accommodate the tossing out of the rule book. For every "Cry," "Generation Throwaway," and "El-Oh-Vee-Ee," all three of which are fist-pumping, largely traditional-sounding 21st century punk rallying cries that effectively utilize the
instant-chorus generator, there's an "Evolution" or a "Song to Stifle Imperial Progression (A Work in Progress)," the former a dreamy, radio-ready power ballad and the latter a freak show mash-up of feral, Sunset Strip metal and
Big Audio Dynamite
-induced dance beats, and it's these aberrations that make
such a surprisingly fun ride, even as it's beating you over the head with cliches. ~ James Christopher Monger