black spot
New member
MSNBC Review......
Good Charlotte moves toward the darkness, Fatboy Slim gets a bit monotonous with "Palookaville", a special re-release of "Confessions" by Usher, De La Soul does it again with must-have "The Grind Date" and William Shatner is once again in the "talk" music business in this week's releases. “The Chronicles of Life and Death,” Good Charlotte Good Charlotte has a good problem with “The Chronicles of Life and Death.” The band has left behind its megahit debut album “The Young and The Restless,” and in its place given birth to a darker sound. The problem? Whether the sometimes fan, who helped propel the pop-punk band’s previous album to multiplatinum status thanks to its feel-good, head-nodding melodies (think “Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous”), will buy the band’s approach with its latest release. Good Charlotte does give listeners a taste of its first album with “Predictable,” the first single from “The Chronicles of Life and Death.” But the use of a cello along with numerous complicated melody changes give the biggest hint that this album is not business as usual for the band. In “We Believe,” Good Charlotte shows their chops as songwriters with a dual message — one an appeal for a more peaceful political time and the other of one woman’s longing to have her son back. It is perhaps the strongest song on the album, thanks to the lyrics: “There’s a woman crying out tonight/Her world has changed/She asked God why/Her only son has died/Now her daughter cries/She can’t sleep at night.” It continues: “Downtown another day for all the suits and ties/Another war to fight/There’s no regard for life/How can they sleep at night?/How can we make things right?” “Walk Away” is big pop-punk with loud guitars and even louder drums. It’s followed on the album by “S.O.S.,” a considerably more quiet song (think rock ballad) for Good Charlotte. “I Just Wanna Live” is hypnotic with its string-drum mix. The album’s real weakness is its opening number “Once Upon A Time: The Battle of Life and Death,” which is way over the top, and worse, it bleeds into one of the standout songs, the album’s title track. Yes, it’s artsy. But it’s too artsy for a pop-punk band. The hardest part of success for any band is overcoming a smash album. Good Charlotte has done it differently, if not better. Here’s hoping the sometimes fan goes along for the musical ride.
Good Charlotte moves toward the darkness, Fatboy Slim gets a bit monotonous with "Palookaville", a special re-release of "Confessions" by Usher, De La Soul does it again with must-have "The Grind Date" and William Shatner is once again in the "talk" music business in this week's releases. “The Chronicles of Life and Death,” Good Charlotte Good Charlotte has a good problem with “The Chronicles of Life and Death.” The band has left behind its megahit debut album “The Young and The Restless,” and in its place given birth to a darker sound. The problem? Whether the sometimes fan, who helped propel the pop-punk band’s previous album to multiplatinum status thanks to its feel-good, head-nodding melodies (think “Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous”), will buy the band’s approach with its latest release. Good Charlotte does give listeners a taste of its first album with “Predictable,” the first single from “The Chronicles of Life and Death.” But the use of a cello along with numerous complicated melody changes give the biggest hint that this album is not business as usual for the band. In “We Believe,” Good Charlotte shows their chops as songwriters with a dual message — one an appeal for a more peaceful political time and the other of one woman’s longing to have her son back. It is perhaps the strongest song on the album, thanks to the lyrics: “There’s a woman crying out tonight/Her world has changed/She asked God why/Her only son has died/Now her daughter cries/She can’t sleep at night.” It continues: “Downtown another day for all the suits and ties/Another war to fight/There’s no regard for life/How can they sleep at night?/How can we make things right?” “Walk Away” is big pop-punk with loud guitars and even louder drums. It’s followed on the album by “S.O.S.,” a considerably more quiet song (think rock ballad) for Good Charlotte. “I Just Wanna Live” is hypnotic with its string-drum mix. The album’s real weakness is its opening number “Once Upon A Time: The Battle of Life and Death,” which is way over the top, and worse, it bleeds into one of the standout songs, the album’s title track. Yes, it’s artsy. But it’s too artsy for a pop-punk band. The hardest part of success for any band is overcoming a smash album. Good Charlotte has done it differently, if not better. Here’s hoping the sometimes fan goes along for the musical ride.