Good Charlotte - Good Morning Revival

Their multiple piercings, shaved heads, and abundant tattoos have them labeled a punk band, but on their fourth album, Good Charlotte--led by twin brothers Joel (lead vocals) and Benji (lead guitar) Madden--fall much more under the umbrella of 1970s arena rock and mainstream ballads. There is the occasional foray into the pop-punk mode of previous records, including the distorted-vocal rap "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl" and "Broken Hearts Parade," which sounds like Green Day with horns. It's easy to see the maturation in the Maddens' songwriting on such tracks as "The River," a surveillance of the inner workings of Los Angeles, the grass-is-greener pop song "Something Else," and "Where Would We Be," a break-up ballad about Joel Madden's split with pop princess Hilary Duff. With a piano lead and strident chorus, Madden admits, "Now I must confess that I'm a sinking ship/And I'm anchored by the weight of my heart." Browbeaten in theory, like sister songs "Misery," "Victim of Love," and "Break Her Heart," Good Morning Revival offers hints of optimism that grow with the record and reach the summit with the closing pop song, "March On." The harmonic chorus jubilantly declares, "Like soldiers we can make it through the night/We'll see the sun/March on." Whether punkers or mainstream rockers, it's apparent that Good Charlotte will continue the march. --Scott Holter Amazon.com

I'll Pass...

So I've been a fan of Good Charlotte and have always loved their cds.

When I got "Good Morning Revival" I expected another great album... Not what I got. The entire thing was just too mainstream for me. It sounded too poppy and like they sold out. BLAND.

The only tracks I can enjoy are "The River" (Basically because of M. Shadows and Synyster Gates) and "Don't Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem)" since its a great song to dance to. And "Breaking Apart Her Heart" it holds some shread of their old sound. Otherwise the others sound so poppy and diffent to what I am used to hearing from them. Like what the tags say it is trl trash.

If they wanted to go in a different direction with this cd then they succeeded. October 7, 2008

I'll Pass...

So I've been a fan of Good Charlotte and have always loved their cds.

When I got "Good Morning Revival" I expected another great album... Not what I got. The entire thing was just too mainstream for me. It sounded too poppy and like they sold out. BLAND.

The only tracks I can enjoy are "The River" (Basically because of M. Shadows and Synyster Gates) and "Don't Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem)" since its a great song to dance to. And "Breaking Apart Her Heart" it holds some shread of their old sound. Otherwise the others sound so poppy and diffent to what I am used to hearing from them. Like what the tags say it is trl trash.

If they wanted to go in a different direction with this cd then they succeeded. October 7, 2008

Emo-Turity

Oh, the pain of growing up. Good Charlotte have aged past the point where The Young and Hopeless would apply to them. And like so many bands in the pop-punk or emo genre, the genre is moving forward. The bands must evolve or perish. Some, like Green Day on American Idiot, gain perspective. Fall Out Boy found the funk on Infinity on High and Panic at The Disco looked back to the sixties for Pretty. Odd.

Good Charlotte seem to be ditching the manic energies of youth for "Good Morning Revival." Only a couple of times do the songs reach the adrenaline amperage of yore, like "Misery." But there's also the blatant Coldplay cop on "Beautiful World," and the Gorillaz-esque "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl." They no-longer seem like the Blink-182 obsessed high-school kids they started as, now they seem to be aiming for the audience attuned to Hot Fuss. The 80's buzz of "I Don't Want to Be In Love" would be cool if Good Charlotte weren't so darn serious about it.

"Good Morning Revival" is an album that was made by a band in transition. Joel and Benji Madden went from being snot-nosed punks to being Hollywood Gossip subjects. It's hard not to read Joel's tabloid-fodder dalliance with Hilary Duff into "Broken Hearts Parade" or the heartbreak ballad "Where Would We Be Now" (or the good boy loses to bad boy "Break Her Apart" tirade). However, it was their adolescent frenzy that made Good Charlotte interesting and "Good Morning Revival" sounds like they want to become another generic arena rock band. September 4, 2008

New Fan

The new sound Good Charlotte has taken with this album is wonderful, and this album is still one of my favorite cds of 2007. Simply awesome pop. June 12, 2008

Best yet from Good Charlotte

I've been a fan of Good Charlotte from the beginning. They have a specific trademark: their music has always been a reflection of where they are in life. When they started out, they were high school kids working through their parents' divorce and being excluded in gym class, cruising the streets and dreaming of stardom. Their music has grown with them and this album is a reflection of where they are now. The songs on GMR are well-written, catchy, and soulful. Of course their sound will change as they get older and learn more about music - if it didn't, we would be complaining that they never grew up.

Give it a listen. I was pleasantly surprised. These songs really are great. May 1, 2008

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