By 2012 a lot of bands from the early 2000s post-hardcore wave had quietly disappeared or embarrassed themselves trying to go radio-friendly. The Used made Vulnerable instead, which is to say they made something raw, strange, and genuinely difficult to look away from.Produced by John Feldmann and soaked in the kind of emotional intensity that made In Love and Death a generational record for a certain stripe of alternative kid, Vulnerable finds the band leaning into dark aesthetic territory without apology. Bert McCracken's vocals remain one of the more distinctive instruments in the genre, and the songs here swing between cathartic screaming and something closer to gothic pop without ever sounding confused about what they are. This is post-hardcore with actual stakes.CD, standard jewel case pressing, 2012 US release.Fans of: Aiden, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Silverstein, Escape the Fate
