Customer Reviews

Cardiology

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I began listening to Good Charlotte during my senior year of highschool back in 2000. Absolutely loved the the first album "Self Entitled" and would still consider myself to be a fan to this day. Sure, there is a huge difference from the first album Good Charlotte gave us as opposed to their more recent stuff and of course my music taste has changed a lot in the last ten years. However, I think Good Charlotte still delivers in this album. Many of the songs still provide good hooks. The main reason I am giving this album 3 stars only as opposed to 4 is that I wasn't quite as impressed as I thought I would be. Good Charlotte made a lot of claims about heading back to their old roots on this album and built up a lot of anticipation on how long the album took and how they had scrapped what they were originally working on and started over. If they were trying to duplicate their self entitled album...they didn't achieve that goal. However, there are some good songs on here if you are looking for that original good charlotte sound such as "Counting The Days". It's not a 5 star album by any means however, it's worth the 10 bucks or so it costs.

Well, I guess the question is, what place (if any) does Good Charlotte have in the music world in 2010? They have taken quite a serious turn since they first burst onto the scene as a Blink 182 pop/punk offspring with "The Young and the Hopeless". The Madden brothers have pretty much turned into the folks they were ridiculing in "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (or at the very least married and dated them, respectively). Although they've kept a similar look over the years, they're music has hardly resembled the pop/punk image they sold themselves on. Sometimes it's been quite successful (Dance Floor Anthem, The River), but mostly their music has left non devoted fans saying "remember when Good Charlotte was good?" It's been nearly ten years since Good Charlotte blew up, and I have to say that if you would've asked me if these guys would still be making music ten years later, I would've put a solid bet down that they would not have been. Well, they still are, and all in all Cardiology is not such a bad little album. They still can't figure out who they are ("Right Where I Belong" bares striking similarities to Angels and Airwaves, and the cheesy party cliche "Like It's her Birthday" would've been better off on the cutting floor, let alone as the lead in single. But still, there is some good stuff on here. "Counting the Days" is classic Good Charlotte, and "1979" shows Good Charlotte doing their best Third Eye Blind... and it actually works. "Let The Music Play" is another pretty catchy tune (again, with a Third Eye Blind/Sugar Ray type of sound), so maybe this is the style they are going for these days. The rest is a mixed bag, but ultimately it's more than I'd expect from this band at this point.

This is the fifth major album by Good Charlotte. Overall a decent effort but not quite as good as Good Morning Revival. "Like It's Her Birthday" was the first single released off of the album and in my opinion is the best song. The Madden brothers have put out a good but in my opinion not great album. The following is my rating of each song:

1. Introduction to Cardiology--(4/5): A nice less than a minute intro track. Nothing special.

2. Let the Music Play--(3/5): Very happy song. Probably a bit too much repetition on the "let the music play" lyrics. The song itself doesn't say very much to me. Upbeat and nice but very regular.

3. Counting the Days--(3/5): Another upbeat song. "Three's company is not my style, it's just you and me." A guy pining for his girlfriend who he hasn't seen for a while. Nothing special but catchy.

4. Silver Screen Romance--(4/5): First very solid track of the album. Great harmony. Complex lyrics a bit tough to follow. "Living in a silver screen romance" and pointing to individual screen stars asking if you are Betty Davis or Carey Grant or others. "All dressed up and ready to go for a ride" is the lyric from this song which pretty much sums up this song.

5. Like It's Her Birthday-(5/5): First single released on this album. Very catchy. Definitely the single that people are talking about from this album. Great harmony around "like's it's her birthday" lyrics.

6. Last Night--(4/5): A funky, psychedelic sounding tune at the beginning rolling right into a fast, upbeat solo. " I knew when I met her I wouldn't take it slow." Very good beat throughout the song.

7. Sex on the Radio--(4/5): Another song with a very funny sounding start to it but quickly rolls into something ok but not great. Still not really sure after a few listens what "she sounds like sex on the radio" really means?

8. Alive-(3/5): After a bunch of very fast pace songs, this one slows down slightly but not dramatically. Slow enough to feel though as if you are taking a short break. OK but not great. Not memorable.

9. Standing Ovation--(4/5): A bit of a country sounding take on their music. I think this one could be a nice break in the action for them at a live show. In my opinion one of the stronger songs on the album. Something you would listen to in the car driving along on a summer day.

10. Harlow's Song --(3.5/5): The song starts promising as another slow love song. It holds pretty well throughout. The lyrics are nice and something you would give your partner to listen to.

11. Interlude: The Fifth Chamber--(2/5): A short break in the action towards the end of the album. A total throw-away track that adds nothing to the album.

12. 1979--(4/5): The album makes a nice comeback from the totally odd "Interlude" in the track right before with an upbeat song with nice guitar playing in the background. Great harmony. One of the best tracks.

13. There She Goes--(4/5): Another beautiful song by the Madden brothers. "There she goes so beautiful.." Very catchy and you will enjoy it.

14. Right Where I Belong-(3.5): I don't think this is necessarily the best song to end the album on. Another one in the ok but not great category.

I really like Cardiology. It seems to me that every album they release has me nodding my head saying, "Yeah, this one is better than the last one." Maybe that's just because I like new music, but I think this album just feels complete. There was something about Good Morning Revival that was dark and empty, although there were a handful of songs that really stood out.

There has been a lot of hype about the band returning to their roots, and almost as much disappointment that they didn't. But I think they did it right. I think they made the same kinds of songs that they made when they first started, but 1) they don't sound like a high school garage band the way they did on their debut album and 2) they don't sound as bitter as they did on The Young and the Hopeless. Overall I am quite satisfied with it, and I look forward to their next album.

As always, it's hard to classify these guys. They aren't completely alternative, but you can't put them all the way in pop either. And as for punk, that's all but disappeared by now as far as I can tell.

Will I still be listening to this album years from now? Probably not. Will I still be listening to "1979"? Absolutely! Good Charlotte always manages to include a few songs that just connect with me, and even if my music preferences change I will still cherish those songs. With any luck, they will keep at it and give us another album in a few years.

Good Charlotte released a very good album. Every song is good with great lyrics. This cd was truly their best by far! Great job, guys! 5/5! You really deserve it!

So far I am in love with this album. I've been listening to Good Charlotte since the first album, and I've followed them from then til now. This album goes back to the "old" Good Charlotte sound, while mixing in their new sound just a little (Like it's her birthday). Best album so far!

I've been a huge Good Charlotte fan since 2005. I was not expecting much from this album after their previous release; however, I was pleasantly surprised. This album is a good mix of catchy singles and songs that appeal to genuine fans.

I've been a Huge fan of Good Charlotte Since I was 17 When I've Heard "Little Things" On the Rock Radio Station & I'm glad they Came out with Cardiology Which I Got it.Anyways,I like their Songs such as "Like it's Her Birthday","1979","Silver Screen Romance" & "Harlow's Song".

Heard that the CD came out and found it online a few minutes later. It came in no time, and I've been rocking out since :-)

I guess I prefer bands when they are young and raw. I have seen quite a few bands become too polished for my tastes. I like this latest by Good Charlotte, but it is more polished and a bit more pop music like than my tastes generally run. I still find it very enjoyable, but it is not quite as edgy as earlier albums in my opinion. However, I don't want to sound disappointed. it is simply not what I expected. It is somewhat different and very enjoyable.