The Used — Berth

Extended downtime between albums is a bitch. To remedy this situation, cookie cutter live releases like Berth are thrown together for some quick cash before the next record sees the light of day. The Used stick so close to the CD versions of the songs (minus some obligatory call and response with the Vancouver crowd) that it renders this brief, nine-song collection virtually useless. They also inexplicably focus on the lame ballads from 2004's In Love And Death as opposed to the heavier, more energetic material from their debut, which would seem like an obvious choice for a live release. The Utah quartet sound fine, and Bert McCracken hits every note perfectly, but why bother with this if you can just listen to their albums?