Album Review

Good Charlotte – Cardiology

• 1st Nov 2010

Pop punk overlords Good Charlotte return with their 5th studio album “Cardiology”, their first since 2007. In that time the Madden twins have found time to party with Hollywood’s socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie, and in Joel’s case, settle down and have two children together with Ritchie.

So is this reflected in the music? Simple answer is yes. Lead single “Like It’s Her Birthday” could well be about a night on the tiles with Paris Hilton with lyrics such as “She’s so wasted/ acting crazy/ making a scene/ like it’s her birthday”. Set to a stabbing guitar part, and featuring synth that means it wouldn’t have felt out of place on “Good Morning Revival”, the main difference appears to be the boys have rediscovered their knack for a killer hook, and insanely catchy choruses. By the time the blistering guitar solo kicks in you are already won over.
The emotional “Harlow’s Song (Can’t Dream Without You)”, about Joel’s daughter, sums up the polar opposites of what they have been up to in their time off.

The time off has obviously had a positive impact on the band though. Sounding more focused and driven then they have in a while; they unleash on the listener some of their best work to date. “Counting The Days” features easily accessible lyrics about the struggles of personal relationships that were a staple of their breakthrough album “The Young and Hopeless”, and the same applies to the acoustic guitar featuring “1979”.

“Silver Screen Romance” is akin to My Chemical Romance’s poppier moments, done in Good Charlotte’s own style, and the result is one of the best songs on the album. “Last Night” could be the morning after “Like It’s Her Birthday”, as the singer troubles to recall just what went down from a particularly heavy night out.

The result of the 3 year wait is a Good Charlotte that has returned happier and more content than they have been in a while. It is the sound of a band that is happy to be exactly what they are, rather than trying to conform like they did on “Good Morning Revival”. They make pop punk music, and they do it better than most, and from the moment “Let the Music Play” bursts into life, you are left in no doubt that this is all they want to do.