The Canyon (album)

The Canyon is the seventh studio album by American rock band the Used. The album was released as double album on October 27, 2017, through Hopeless Records[5] and is dedicated to Tregen, a friend of Bert McCracken, who shot himself in Provo Canyon after coming off his anti-depressants for about a week.[6] It is the only studio album to feature guitarist Justin Shekoski since Quinn Allman's departure in 2015.[5] It was highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike and appearing on many best-of-the-year lists, though it only peaked at 50 on the Billboard 200.

The Canyon
Studio album by
The Used
ReleasedOctober 27, 2017 (2017-10-27)
Recorded2017
StudioStudio 606, Los Angeles,[1]
Valentine Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California[2]
Genre
Length78:58
LabelHopeless
ProducerRoss Robinson
The Used chronology
Live & Acoustic at the Palace
(2016)		 The Canyon
(2017)		 Heartwork
(2020)
Singles from The Canyon
  1. "Over and Over Again"
    Released: September 7, 2017 [5]
  2. "Rise Up Lights"
    Released: November 3, 2017
  3. "The Nexus"
    Released: May 2, 2018

Background and production

On February 2, 2015, the band announced that guitarist Quinn Allman be on a temporary leave of absence for a year; Justin Shekoski of Saosin was brought in to fill Allman's role.[7] On November 19, the group officially parted ways with Allman and made Shekoski a full-time member.[8] Following this, the group went on tour to celebrate 15 years of being a band in April and May 2016.[9] Further dates were added extending it into June,[10] before a second leg in August and September was added.[11]

The Canyon is the group's first album to feature production from Ross Robinson.[5] Previous albums utilized John Feldmann (with the exception of Artwork, produced by Matt Squire). The album was recorded using analog equipment with no click-tracks or backing vocals to achieve a raw sound.[12] Some of the song titles reference David Foster Wallace, Syria and The Odyssey, among others.[13]

The Canyon is also the group's first and only studio album with guitarist Justin Shekoski. On Shekoski's addition to the band, in an interview with Billboard, lead singer Bert McCracken stated Shekoski's "lust for life and passion for art is inspiring. It's been a fire underneath The Used. It's a new chapter of a brand new book" and "since Justin became a part of the Used it's been nothing but exciting for the next step."[14] The band members were inspired following the live recording of Live and Acoustic at the Palace (2016), and wanted to reflect the live experience in their new album.[15]

Release

On September 7, 2017, The Canyon was announced for release the following month; alongside this, a music video was released for the first single, "Over and Over Again."[16] The music video was directed by Lisa Mann and included dance choreography with bright visuals.[16] In October and November 2017, the group went on a headlining US tour with support from Glassjaw.[17] A lyric video was released for "Rise Up Lights" on October 23, 2017.[18] The Canyon was released on October 27, 2017 through Hopeless Records.[17] A music video was released for "Rise Up Lights" on November 3, 2017 which also depicted interpretive dancing "seemingly meant for their avant-garde dystopian anthem."[19]

The group were due to go on a European tour in February 2018,[20] but the shows were postponed until August 2018 due to a "family death."[21]

Following this, the group went on a headlining US tour with support from Red Sun Rising and Fever 333 in April and May 2018.[22] On May 1, a music video was released for "The Nexus".[23] Directed by Lisa Mann, the video is a love story between two "identities battling for supremacy and independence only to be locked in patterned loops together throughout time told through experimental movement."[24] The band then performed on the Warped Tour in June and July.[22] The group also appeared at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2018.[25]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[26]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[27]
Alternative Press[28]
Drowned in Sound[29]
New Noise[30]

The album received positive reception following its release, with Alternative Press claiming the album has "A vibrancy and vulnerability not felt since the Used's 2002 self-titled debut," and stating that the band's new guitarist Justin Shekoski "has breathed new life into the songwriting."[31] McCracken's delivery of the lyrics coupled with Shekoski's melodies and riffs, showed "The Used have fully realized their wild imagination" and critics noted "this collection of songs are more compelling and moving than anything heard previously from the band."[32]

The album appears in AllMusic's 2017 Year In Review: Favorite Punk Albums,[33] Alternative Press's The 40 best albums of 2017,[34] Drowned in Sound's Album of 2017: Staff edit[35] and Kerrang!'s Albums of 2017 lists.[36]

Track listing
Disc One
No.TitleLength
1."For You"4:35
2."Cold War Telescreen"4:41
3."Broken Windows"4:45
4."Rise Up Lights"3:28
5."Vertigo Cave"4:25
6."Pretty Picture"4:11
7."Funeral Post"5:19
8."Upper Falls"5:34
9."The Divine Absence (This Is Water)"5:00
Total length:41:58

All tracks are written by Justin Shekoski, Bert McCracken, Jeph Howard, Dan Whitesides

Disc Two
No.TitleLength
10."Selfies in Aleppo"4:33
11."Moving the Mountain (Odysseus Surrenders)"4:16
12."Over and Over Again"5:14
13."The Quiet War"4:11
14."Moon-Dream"4:45
15."The Nexus"4:41
16."About You (No Songs Left to Sing)"3:47
17."The Mouth of the Canyon"5:33
Total length:37:00

Live debut of the songs
Song Venue Date Tour Source
About You (No Songs Left to Sing) SeaLegs Live at the Beach, Huntington Beach, California, U.S. August 9, 2017 - [37]
For You Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S. October 27, 2017 The Canyon Tour [38]
Over and Over Again Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S. October 27, 2017 The Canyon Tour [38]
Rise Up Lights Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S. October 27, 2017 The Canyon Tour [38]
The Nexus Uptown Theater, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. October 31, 2017 The Canyon Tour [39]
Selfies in Aleppo Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, New Jersey, U.S. November 12, 2017 The Canyon Tour [40]

Personnel

The Used

  • Bert McCracken – lead vocals, piano (tracks 8 & 12), solina strings on "The Quiet War"
  • Justin Shekoski – guitars, backing vocals, fretless guitar, banjo, Hammond B-3, harmonica, piano arrangement, programming, solina strings, album cover design
  • Jeph Howard – bass guitar
  • Dan Whitesides – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

  • Jeph Howard, Rob McCracken, Justin Shekoski, Dan Whitesides, Brittni Whitesides, Erin Balboa, Michael Balboa, Danny Payne and Travis Pavur - group vocals on tracks 4,6,10
  • Charlene Huang, Nicole Garcia - violins on tracks 1,2,7,8,12,14,17
  • Hiro Goto - viola and strings arrangements on tracks 1,2,7,8,12,14,17
  • April Guthrie - cello on tracks 1,2,7,8,12,14,17
  • Edie Lehmann Boddicker, Luke Edgemon, Missi Hale - backing vocal ensemble on tracks 2,7,8,11,12,17
  • Ron Manaog - percussion (all tracks except 1,14)
  • The Used and Farrah Whitesides - percussion on "Vertigo Cave"
  • Cleopatra Rose McCracken - vocals on "Moon-Dream"
  • Michael Lehmann Boddicker - piano and synthesizer production on "Moon-Dream"

Production

  • Ross Robinson – producer, mixing
  • Michael Balboa - engineering
  • Mike Frase - mixing
  • Travis Pavur - additional engineering

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[41] 69
US Billboard 200[42] 50
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[43] 6
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[44] 3
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[45] 8

References
  1. "Instagram post by Justin Shekoski • May 5, 2017 at 8:32am UTC". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  2. Biddulph, Andy (September 11, 2017). "The Used's Bert McCracken: "Everything In My Life Has Led Up To This Moment..."". Rock Sound. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  3. Johnston, Emma (December 3, 2017). "The Used - The Canyon album review | Louder". Teamrock.com. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  4. "The Used's Bert McCracken runs through the band's pain-stained discography — interview". January 5, 2018.
  5. DiVita, Joe (September 8, 2017). "The Used Announce 'The Canyon' Album, Share Quirky 'Over and Over Again' Video". Loudwire. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  6. "The Used's Bert McCracken Talks Suicide & Loss, How It Influenced New Album 'The Canyon'". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  7. Sharp, Tyler (February 2, 2015). "The Used guitarist to take temporary leave from band, Saosin member to fill in". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  8. Sharp, Tyler (November 19, 2015). "The Used welcome Saosin guitarist after officially parting ways with Quinn Allman". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  9. Sharp, Tyler (November 17, 2015). "The Used announce anniversary tour and live acoustic album". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  10. Chatterjee, Kika (April 12, 2016). "The Used's acoustic album hits #11 on Billboard's albums chart". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  11. Sharp, Tyler (June 14, 2016). "The Used announce second leg of 15-year anniversary tour". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  12. "The Used's New Album 'The Canyon': Bert McCracken Interview". Billboard. October 26, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  13. Tuck, Dylan (September 8, 2017). "NEWS: The Used announce new album, 'The Canyon'!". Dead Press!. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  14. "The Used's Bert McCracken Talks Suicide & Loss, How It Influenced New Album 'The Canyon'". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  15. "The Used's Bert McCracken Talks Suicide & Loss, How It Influenced New Album 'The Canyon'". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  16. DiVita, Joe (September 8, 2017). "The Used Announce New Album, Release 'Over and Over Again' Video". Loudwire. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  17. Dickman, Maggie (September 7, 2017). "The Used debut new song, "Over And Over Again," taken from forthcoming album, 'The Canyon'". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  18. Dickman, Maggie (October 23, 2017). "The Used debut supercharged new song 'Rise Up Lights'". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  19. Dickman, Maggie (November 3, 2017). "Watch the Used's slightly NSFW music video for "Rise Up Lights"". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  20. Heinz, Natasha (November 22, 2017). "The Used announce tour and other news you might have missed today". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  21. Cook, Lottie (March 21, 2018). "NEWS: The Used announce rescheduled UK tour for August 2018!". Dead Press!. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  22. Casteel, Beth (May 1, 2018). "Nothing More share music video for 'Just Say When' and other news you might have missed today". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  23. Dickman, Maggie (March 19, 2018). "The Used announce dates for rescheduled tour". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  24. Tuck, Dylan (May 4, 2018). "VIDEO: The Used – The Nexus". Dead Press!. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  25. Tuck, Dylan (March 31, 2018). "NEWS: Mike Shinoda, Skindred, and 70+ more join Reading & Leeds Festival 2018!". Dead Press!. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  26. "The Canyon by The Used Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  27. Yeung, Neil Z. "The Canyon - The Used". AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  28. "'The Canyon' is the Used's most soul-wrenching effort to date". Alternative Press. October 27, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  29. Reynolds, Aidan. "Album Review: The Used - The Canyon". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  30. Lay, Nathaniel (November 8, 2017). "Album Review: The Used - The Canyon". New Noise. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  31. "'The Canyon' is the Used's most soul-wrenching effort to date". Alternative Press. October 27, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  32. "'The Canyon' is the Used's most soul-wrenching effort to date". Alternative Press. October 27, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  33. "Favorite Punk Albums | AllMusic 2017 in Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  34. "【FEATURES】The 40 best albums of 2017". ALTERNATIVE PRESS JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  35. "Staff Poll: Drowned In Sound's Albums Of 2017 List". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  36. "Kerrang!'s Albums Of 2017 — Kerrang!". Kerrang!. December 29, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  37. "The Used Setlist at SeaLegs Live at the Beach, Huntington Beach". setlist.fm. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  38. "The Used Setlist at Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco". setlist.fm. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  39. "The Used Setlist at Uptown Theater, Kansas City". setlist.fm. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  40. "The Used Setlist at Starland Ballroom, Sayreville". setlist.fm. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  41. "ARIA Chart Watch #445". auspOp. November 4, 2017. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  42. "The Used Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  43. "The Used Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  44. "The Used Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  45. "The Used Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
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