If you ever wanted to know how to write the perfect pop punk record, you wouldn’t be wrong in asking Good Charlotte. The bands second album, The Young and the Hopeless, was a pop punk masterpiece, that’s fact. But once you’ve created your magnum opus, where exactly do you go from there? A change of musical direction would probably be the best bet perhaps.
With Good Morning Revival, Good Charlotte’s fourth instalment, this is exactly what we have been given. Before you scornfully remark “Oh but they did this with their third album and it was crap,” remember that was the bands first attempt at a new sound. This is their second…and they’ve nailed it.
The Madden brothers have presented us with an album that is leagues above The Young and the Hopeless in terms of maturity and feeling, though still captures the essence of a quintessential pop punk record in all its glory.
The first single taken from Good Morning Revival, Keep Your Hands off My Girl, is a dark and brooding track oozing with attitude, perhaps the standout on the album, complete with a commanding synth baseline.
Big ,anthemic choruses come via Misery and Dance Floor Anthem, no doubt turning into the crowd favourites at the live shows, while The River features Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows and Synyster Gates taking up vocal and guitar duties.
The real difference shines through in the latter stages, with the mature and heart felt sounds of Beautiful Place, although sounding suspiciously like a certain Coldplay song. Where Would We Be Now confirms that this is certainly not a one off, displaying again a softer sound and wider range of musical ability.
Tracks Broken Hearts Parade and Something Else both help to remind that Good Charlotte can still produce the goods when writing catchy teen tunes to bounce along to.
March On is a sweet, melodic piano led closer that looks back on past memories and leaves you with the feeling that perhaps this album was a lot better than you would have expected it to be.
Good Charlotte can hold their heads up high to the fact that they have produced a decent record here, one that shows how far they have come and how much growing up they have done since the release of The Young and the Hopeless back in 2002.
This does sound completely different from The Young and the Hopeless though and isn’t as good. But to be honest, it would be impossible trying to better it. The focus now needs to be on the new sound they have captured and with Good Morning Revival under their belt, they are certainly heading in the right direction.
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