GOOD CHARLOTTE - GOOD MORNING REVIVAL REVEIW
Alright, so I'm about halfway through my second listen to the new Good Charlotte album, "Good Morning Revival." [GMR, as it's been dubbed. Funny, "The Young and The Hopeless" is affectionately known as TYTH and "The Chronicles of Life and Death" is Chronicles, we Good Charlotte, GC fans are acronymy.] I had decided I was going to write about this record before I even had it in my sweaty palm, but now that I've listened to it, I know it's essentail. This is possibly the most important album that will certainly happen to me for some time to come.
It's a popularly known fact that I am probably the biggest GC fan you will ever have the misfortune of meeting, unless of course you go to GC shows, in which case you will encounter a lot of young women who put my dedication to shame. Alack, GC isn't even my favourite band, it's up there, at #2 [now, just try and concieve the kind of Social Distortion fan I am...I'm going to write about their live album "Live at the Roxy" after this.] Anyway, it has always amazed me that as my life has plodded along with GC as a component of it their songs have basically been written for my life. Benji and Joel Madden have successfully managed to write my soundtrack.
When I was in high school and encountered their title album, it had all the elements of entertaining pop music I traditionally enjoy, with the added benefit of attractive punky boys. When I came to properly listen to "The Young and The Hopeless" I was desperate for something new in my life. GC delivered with entertaining references to Social Distortion, Minor Threat and Rancid...and a clear picture of Washington DC I couldn't help but look a little closer at. I'm not going to tell you I listen to punk rock because I listened to GC [I listen to punk rock because my Dad is, a. a musical god, and b. made sure I was listening to Sex Pistols and the Clash when I was 7.] But I will not deny I listen to a lot of bands because I listened to GC, also I will not deny that once I came to understand these things I came to live in.near.around Washington DC, and if anyone calls me punk today, that would be why. [I've never been comfortable with the label, punks are cooler than me, but I know that's my thing and always will be. Well, alright, I guess I'm a punk, fine.] When Chronicles came out it was the most horrible, self-deprecating peice of music I'd ever heard, and frankly I was chewing out my own insides at the time. It was perfect, every song stung and hurt, every chord was painful, but honestly in my freshman/sophomore time at college that's where I was. Profoundly unhappy with myself, my own life imploding around me, perpetually riddled with insecurity, those songs were mine. I will always claim that TYTH is my favourite album, but there's a pretty dark place in my heart for Chronicles.
So today, after a Christmas break which can only be described as a rebirth, a "good morning", if you will, I am at a really good place. I am actually happy, alone, admitadly, morbidly dark, I'll give you that. But happy with who I am. I'm comfortable in my own skin. Of course "Good Morning Revival" tells me that my boys in Good Charlotte are in much the same place. Just listening to this album I've been given a lot of words to explain the beauty/misery complication of my current existence. I love it. There you go, Colva gives her go ahead. I will now take a look at this album in a little more of a professional, less personal style.
Firstly, this is mature. Whoa is this grown up. Long gone are the melodramatics of Chronicles and anger of TYTH and the goof of the title album sticks around just enough to let us all know Good Charlotte are laughing at themselves. Also, they've abandoned their formula. The previous two albums were formula-driven, and some people might say this record is career suicide, throwing out what made you famous. But I think Good Charlotte know that the people who love them, really care about their music are growing up, and that as we grow up we don't want one of our favourite bands to be all over Hot Topic, or to be a formula. Good Charlotte have magnificently grown into adulthood with me, and I know a lot of their fans feel this way.
This is a happy record, these are fun songs. Stylistically, it's very different. Yes. The songs are simple, but they aren't pop-punk songs in the way previous ones have been. They have fun melodies, it's very melodic. This is not punk rock, it isn't even trying. It's not even fronting as punk. It's not really pop either, and it's not radio rock. It's a little techno-y, dash of indie. But I can't genre-lize this record. It's quite transcient. As to the songs and the content. It's good. It's fresh. Hell is this shit fresh. God are these guys doing well. Most amazing thing about this record is how Benji and Joel have really seemed like such flaming, self-absorbed assholes for months. [Note, Billy and Paul never seem like assholes, they seem like the sweetest most paitent people on earth. really.] Really, I have been so suspicious of these people, who I have never been made uncomfortable by. I and I think many of us, have been asking why are you such sell-outs? Who are you? Well, as it turns out, it's incredible, because they are exactly the people they were when they started, just grown-up. It's amazing that they could seem like such douches, while writing such beautiful songs. My faith is restored.
Now about these songs:
We begin, in true GC form with some "introduction". It's pure gold, it's full of synthesizers and electronics. With the lyric "tired of running, hurting" etc. followed by "today we could revive, good morning". It really feels like a rebirth, it reminds me of the opening to "before everything and after" by MXPX.
Roaring forward, "Misery" is definately the most "rocking" song on the album, it's excellent. I would put this up there with one of the best GC songs. Again, it's got fast, dance oriented beats - which transcend into the extremely tight guitar work I, personally love best about Billy and Benji. The drumming is also hot shit on this album, Dean is worth his weight in gold, they should hold on to him. He's a better drummer than Chris, and I loved Chris. The song is about misery and how well it suits, and how there comes a time to just revel in it, sometimes you aren't happy, and you aren't fake. "Don't you know this misery loves me". At around 2:34 through, Benji plays a solo which makes me want to marry him again. [and I haven't wanted to marry him in a good four months.] it's similar to the solo he pulled in "Motivation Proclamation" and I didn't think we'd ever see that talent again.
number 3 is "The River" a charming ditty about the life-sucking properties of Los Angeles and how everyone's favourite dreamland isn't perfect. It's clear that GC aren't romanced by the glamour of LA, GC and LA have a work relationship. It's a song about redemption, the lyrics play with some clever images of redemption and the LA river, a renewal song. It also features M. Shadows and Synsyster Gates from Aveneged Sevenfold, which means shit to me, because I'm not a big AX7 fan. But vocally Joel is on point, in this song but in the whole album. He's much less whiney than usual, and it pays off. The song is thickly melodic, with sweeping bass and drums. It's a lot like a lot of older GC, and again at around 2:48 there is some fantastic guitar work, I suspect it's Gates and not Benji or Billy.
"Dance Floor Anthemn" is a sweeping, ABBA-esque disco entrance, it's heavily electronic. Young Love actually made a lot of sense on that last tour, even though it didn't seem like it at the time. It then switches down, and rolls in synthesizer laden verses, with strong spoken-y lyrics. It's about broken love and a girl or guy who goes out and just parties it off. It's a song about forgetting your problems and shedding your issues, "I don't wanna be in love, if you've got nothing left, feel the beat now" It's a freaking hot dance song. I didn't think GC could pull off dancey music so well, so much better than Fall Out Boy. Around 2:42 it slows down and explores the nature of love and how it always ends, you have to live your life. Again, very positive, very athemnic. The girls are the show are going to love this one.
number 5 is "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl", it's the fourth part of the story that started in "Little Things", and then "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and then "I Just Wanna Live". Songs about what it's like to be as punk, as poor, as famous or now, just as fucking cool as the Maddens. This song so brilliant. We've had access to it for some months now, it's a great peice of music. It's funny and cocky as hell. It's all about a girl at a party who's intimidated by our heroes, and who "stays posted up on the side of the room", and her hipster boyfriend shouting "keep your hands off my girl" because our heroes are just that cool. It's the DCMA promoting, lifestyle song. It's about all the cool shit, and I think what it means to be Good Charlotte cool, ie your own brand of punk rock chaos in a world run by Chanel and Dior [ie Hollywood]. It's street style and brass knuckles and Good Charlotte laughing at themselves and everyone else. Take it for what it is, this is an excellently smart, well produced song. and again, it's dance music...just so you know, Benji and Joel took up DJ work in between albums and tours and clothing labels, and record labels and buying cars and women and everything else they do.
This is a romantic record, and "Victims of Love" again with charged electronic opening, with fast and well done drums go to prove this new style is excellent. When the lyrics kick in this song reminds me of those Russian lesbians, T.a.T.u, or maybe I just want to see Joel in a school uniform in the rain, but whatever. It's about how everyone is getting fucked over in love all the time, and how we're all in the same boat. It's a lot about safety in numbers, love is hard but people are tough and we all recovering. It's about recovery and realizing that love is "a game" and we're all "victims". You would think that this electronic stuff would get old, and the first time I listened to it, it made the record feel mild, but when I listen to it again I realise the instruments are as heavy as ever, it's just a little less...annoying. There is no "Story of My Old Man" in this album.
"Where Would We Be Now" - what a cute piece of shit this song is. Oh my god. It's like "Seasons", she's sighing, and he's asking her 'how would our lives be if we had just found each other.' It's cute enough to make you want to barf. It sounds like a fairy dancing across the piano, Billy. It's cute, it's really sweet. It's not sweepingly romantic like "Mountain" but this is a beautiful, sentimental song about how love changes all our lives. And how the world and our lives would be different if we had been willing to "Wait" [interesting.] and where we would be if we had just met earlier. [I'll tell you where we'd be, buddy...we would be married.] Cute song.
On a totally different note, "Break Apart Her Heart" is a little darker. Mr. Joel Madden explains to us that the only way to keep your lady wanting you is to fuck her over. Thanks Joel! It's about a girl who doesn't care about her man, and cheats and he figures her out, and then becomes the man she can't have, and thus wants. It's interesting because GC then laments the fact that this is the world we live in. Key lyric "Can't you see the way she's crying?/ Well, thats' what keeps her trying". It's an interesting explanation of male/female dynamics. It's a kicking song on the chorus, it's a little wimpy on the verses. The chorus has some clever rhyming words.
Track 9, what can be said. This is a highlight of the album, again a little dark. It enters in with cemetary/horror show music, it makes me think of vampires and orgasms. This is a pretty hot song. "All Black", it celebrates the little weirdo, morbid kid who loves the nightime and wears black and sees the dark side of life. So...basically I love this little ditty. It's so sick, "I'll go to a funeral any day of the week". It's sexy and quite rock and roll. This is what happened when that kid from "Bloody Valentine" met the right girl, and she didn't die like she did in "Ghost of You". I guess this kid is Benji, with Billy on the synths. It makes a nice couple of references to the Man in Black [Johnny Cash] and the Stones, [paint it black]. And at minute 3:42 there is some amazing Benji guitar solo to lull you into a dark, deep rest following this. But bear in mind, this is a happy little goth kid, he's at peace with his nature. Aw, sweet.
"Beautiful Place" - again, this is a beautiful song. It's a little bit like "We Believe" but less like U2, thus better. It's a lot about being alright with yourself and your world, and celebrating it. It's a lot about starting again, "Father can we start over, take me to the places that we lived...". It's about being alright with your childhood, and wanting to rekindle that joy. It juxtaposes the way the world makes people cold, and lonely with how love and the beauty of life can save us from "wasting so many days" and despite "our hearts are dark as the rain" we "live in a beautiful place". This is a lovely song, it's not going to be to your taste unless you like GC, this is a litle selective. Interestingly, none of these songs are really slow. This also has the 'celebratory' piano which showed up in 'Ghost of You' and 'We Believe'.
"Something Else" a love song. This is poppy as hell, cute and poppy. It's got a sort of fun Cyndi Lauper 80's riff. I enjoy it, it's very light hearted. It works the idea that everyone wants something different from their life, and it's different for everyone. "Maybe a roll in the dirt, maybe a seat in first class". The second verse is kind of speaky, and it's really sweet. At first I thought the girl, the smart, posh girl in this song in Beverly Hills was Nicole Ritchie, but actually she talks about money in the second verse, and I've seen "The Simple Life", so not her. It's about people's differences, and cleverly plays a different spin into the electronically inspired sound. This is light, light and fresh.
The second to last song is traditionally a charger on a GC album and "The Broken Heart's Parade" is, it charges in with brass. Yes, kids GC explore SKA. It's got a lot of the same themes as a few others, it's about being 'dressed in black, singing along to the broken heart's parade, i've never been better than i am today'. It's about being with the people who fit in with, being honest about who you are. This is a huge, fat testimony to Good Charlotte being happy with who they are, and what they do. Hell, they are experiementing with SKA, they ignore all sort of convention. This song goes for it, I want to listen to it with all the windows down as we roll into DC from 66 past the Kennedy Centre. It makes me think of DC a lot, very lively. Maybe not even DC, it's a city song. Actually with the carnival sound and the parade, and the lyrics like "the beauty of the broken heart", I would like to propose that this is a sutble, really sutble Hurricane Katrina song.
In the last track, all the stops go. Softer, slower and singing right to you, the fan, on the other end. This is no pain, this is how we get over things. "March On" is what happens when a band really knows their fans. They write songs as personal as "Emotionless" and they put things onto their albums, [eh, that hidden track on Chronicles where Joel basically begs us not to leave him alone, begs us to stick with it, and as far as I can tell we do] well, "March On" is about sticking with it, like a grown-up version of "Hold On" and "Moving On". Really it's a direct appeal to the kids who go to the shows, and who love this band. This is heartfelt, this is the kind of song GC was made for, songs to help people. To help kids, which is lame, and cliche, but that's what they do. It's reallt the last song, no hidden tracks, so we know that the book is shut. They ended it well.
"Good Morning Rivival" is a beautiful album. The songs are well composed, and excellently written. You can feel the production, which may make some people nervous, but I know how GC do live, and I know each and every one of these songs will play beautifully. The album art is stunning, this is the first album since the beginning we were get some good pictures of GC, they were hiding last album, and I think it's because they were a mess. But we see some great shots, from what is a very tasteful shoot. The pictures capture their characters, and Paul is adorable. There is a playing shot, which is important because no one should judge this band outside of live context.
Finally, I would like to say that everyone who gives me grief about GC and who talks shit, should listen to this album and if they do, I suspect opinions would be reviewed. This is a saving grace, a beautiful piece of work from a band that is demonstrating that they will weather the winds of time, and grow-up very gracefully.
Alright, so I'm about halfway through my second listen to the new Good Charlotte album, "Good Morning Revival." [GMR, as it's been dubbed. Funny, "The Young and The Hopeless" is affectionately known as TYTH and "The Chronicles of Life and Death" is Chronicles, we Good Charlotte, GC fans are acronymy.] I had decided I was going to write about this record before I even had it in my sweaty palm, but now that I've listened to it, I know it's essentail. This is possibly the most important album that will certainly happen to me for some time to come.
It's a popularly known fact that I am probably the biggest GC fan you will ever have the misfortune of meeting, unless of course you go to GC shows, in which case you will encounter a lot of young women who put my dedication to shame. Alack, GC isn't even my favourite band, it's up there, at #2 [now, just try and concieve the kind of Social Distortion fan I am...I'm going to write about their live album "Live at the Roxy" after this.] Anyway, it has always amazed me that as my life has plodded along with GC as a component of it their songs have basically been written for my life. Benji and Joel Madden have successfully managed to write my soundtrack.
When I was in high school and encountered their title album, it had all the elements of entertaining pop music I traditionally enjoy, with the added benefit of attractive punky boys. When I came to properly listen to "The Young and The Hopeless" I was desperate for something new in my life. GC delivered with entertaining references to Social Distortion, Minor Threat and Rancid...and a clear picture of Washington DC I couldn't help but look a little closer at. I'm not going to tell you I listen to punk rock because I listened to GC [I listen to punk rock because my Dad is, a. a musical god, and b. made sure I was listening to Sex Pistols and the Clash when I was 7.] But I will not deny I listen to a lot of bands because I listened to GC, also I will not deny that once I came to understand these things I came to live in.near.around Washington DC, and if anyone calls me punk today, that would be why. [I've never been comfortable with the label, punks are cooler than me, but I know that's my thing and always will be. Well, alright, I guess I'm a punk, fine.] When Chronicles came out it was the most horrible, self-deprecating peice of music I'd ever heard, and frankly I was chewing out my own insides at the time. It was perfect, every song stung and hurt, every chord was painful, but honestly in my freshman/sophomore time at college that's where I was. Profoundly unhappy with myself, my own life imploding around me, perpetually riddled with insecurity, those songs were mine. I will always claim that TYTH is my favourite album, but there's a pretty dark place in my heart for Chronicles.
So today, after a Christmas break which can only be described as a rebirth, a "good morning", if you will, I am at a really good place. I am actually happy, alone, admitadly, morbidly dark, I'll give you that. But happy with who I am. I'm comfortable in my own skin. Of course "Good Morning Revival" tells me that my boys in Good Charlotte are in much the same place. Just listening to this album I've been given a lot of words to explain the beauty/misery complication of my current existence. I love it. There you go, Colva gives her go ahead. I will now take a look at this album in a little more of a professional, less personal style.
Firstly, this is mature. Whoa is this grown up. Long gone are the melodramatics of Chronicles and anger of TYTH and the goof of the title album sticks around just enough to let us all know Good Charlotte are laughing at themselves. Also, they've abandoned their formula. The previous two albums were formula-driven, and some people might say this record is career suicide, throwing out what made you famous. But I think Good Charlotte know that the people who love them, really care about their music are growing up, and that as we grow up we don't want one of our favourite bands to be all over Hot Topic, or to be a formula. Good Charlotte have magnificently grown into adulthood with me, and I know a lot of their fans feel this way.
This is a happy record, these are fun songs. Stylistically, it's very different. Yes. The songs are simple, but they aren't pop-punk songs in the way previous ones have been. They have fun melodies, it's very melodic. This is not punk rock, it isn't even trying. It's not even fronting as punk. It's not really pop either, and it's not radio rock. It's a little techno-y, dash of indie. But I can't genre-lize this record. It's quite transcient. As to the songs and the content. It's good. It's fresh. Hell is this shit fresh. God are these guys doing well. Most amazing thing about this record is how Benji and Joel have really seemed like such flaming, self-absorbed assholes for months. [Note, Billy and Paul never seem like assholes, they seem like the sweetest most paitent people on earth. really.] Really, I have been so suspicious of these people, who I have never been made uncomfortable by. I and I think many of us, have been asking why are you such sell-outs? Who are you? Well, as it turns out, it's incredible, because they are exactly the people they were when they started, just grown-up. It's amazing that they could seem like such douches, while writing such beautiful songs. My faith is restored.
Now about these songs:
We begin, in true GC form with some "introduction". It's pure gold, it's full of synthesizers and electronics. With the lyric "tired of running, hurting" etc. followed by "today we could revive, good morning". It really feels like a rebirth, it reminds me of the opening to "before everything and after" by MXPX.
Roaring forward, "Misery" is definately the most "rocking" song on the album, it's excellent. I would put this up there with one of the best GC songs. Again, it's got fast, dance oriented beats - which transcend into the extremely tight guitar work I, personally love best about Billy and Benji. The drumming is also hot shit on this album, Dean is worth his weight in gold, they should hold on to him. He's a better drummer than Chris, and I loved Chris. The song is about misery and how well it suits, and how there comes a time to just revel in it, sometimes you aren't happy, and you aren't fake. "Don't you know this misery loves me". At around 2:34 through, Benji plays a solo which makes me want to marry him again. [and I haven't wanted to marry him in a good four months.] it's similar to the solo he pulled in "Motivation Proclamation" and I didn't think we'd ever see that talent again.
number 3 is "The River" a charming ditty about the life-sucking properties of Los Angeles and how everyone's favourite dreamland isn't perfect. It's clear that GC aren't romanced by the glamour of LA, GC and LA have a work relationship. It's a song about redemption, the lyrics play with some clever images of redemption and the LA river, a renewal song. It also features M. Shadows and Synsyster Gates from Aveneged Sevenfold, which means shit to me, because I'm not a big AX7 fan. But vocally Joel is on point, in this song but in the whole album. He's much less whiney than usual, and it pays off. The song is thickly melodic, with sweeping bass and drums. It's a lot like a lot of older GC, and again at around 2:48 there is some fantastic guitar work, I suspect it's Gates and not Benji or Billy.
"Dance Floor Anthemn" is a sweeping, ABBA-esque disco entrance, it's heavily electronic. Young Love actually made a lot of sense on that last tour, even though it didn't seem like it at the time. It then switches down, and rolls in synthesizer laden verses, with strong spoken-y lyrics. It's about broken love and a girl or guy who goes out and just parties it off. It's a song about forgetting your problems and shedding your issues, "I don't wanna be in love, if you've got nothing left, feel the beat now" It's a freaking hot dance song. I didn't think GC could pull off dancey music so well, so much better than Fall Out Boy. Around 2:42 it slows down and explores the nature of love and how it always ends, you have to live your life. Again, very positive, very athemnic. The girls are the show are going to love this one.
number 5 is "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl", it's the fourth part of the story that started in "Little Things", and then "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and then "I Just Wanna Live". Songs about what it's like to be as punk, as poor, as famous or now, just as fucking cool as the Maddens. This song so brilliant. We've had access to it for some months now, it's a great peice of music. It's funny and cocky as hell. It's all about a girl at a party who's intimidated by our heroes, and who "stays posted up on the side of the room", and her hipster boyfriend shouting "keep your hands off my girl" because our heroes are just that cool. It's the DCMA promoting, lifestyle song. It's about all the cool shit, and I think what it means to be Good Charlotte cool, ie your own brand of punk rock chaos in a world run by Chanel and Dior [ie Hollywood]. It's street style and brass knuckles and Good Charlotte laughing at themselves and everyone else. Take it for what it is, this is an excellently smart, well produced song. and again, it's dance music...just so you know, Benji and Joel took up DJ work in between albums and tours and clothing labels, and record labels and buying cars and women and everything else they do.
This is a romantic record, and "Victims of Love" again with charged electronic opening, with fast and well done drums go to prove this new style is excellent. When the lyrics kick in this song reminds me of those Russian lesbians, T.a.T.u, or maybe I just want to see Joel in a school uniform in the rain, but whatever. It's about how everyone is getting fucked over in love all the time, and how we're all in the same boat. It's a lot about safety in numbers, love is hard but people are tough and we all recovering. It's about recovery and realizing that love is "a game" and we're all "victims". You would think that this electronic stuff would get old, and the first time I listened to it, it made the record feel mild, but when I listen to it again I realise the instruments are as heavy as ever, it's just a little less...annoying. There is no "Story of My Old Man" in this album.
"Where Would We Be Now" - what a cute piece of shit this song is. Oh my god. It's like "Seasons", she's sighing, and he's asking her 'how would our lives be if we had just found each other.' It's cute enough to make you want to barf. It sounds like a fairy dancing across the piano, Billy. It's cute, it's really sweet. It's not sweepingly romantic like "Mountain" but this is a beautiful, sentimental song about how love changes all our lives. And how the world and our lives would be different if we had been willing to "Wait" [interesting.] and where we would be if we had just met earlier. [I'll tell you where we'd be, buddy...we would be married.] Cute song.
On a totally different note, "Break Apart Her Heart" is a little darker. Mr. Joel Madden explains to us that the only way to keep your lady wanting you is to fuck her over. Thanks Joel! It's about a girl who doesn't care about her man, and cheats and he figures her out, and then becomes the man she can't have, and thus wants. It's interesting because GC then laments the fact that this is the world we live in. Key lyric "Can't you see the way she's crying?/ Well, thats' what keeps her trying". It's an interesting explanation of male/female dynamics. It's a kicking song on the chorus, it's a little wimpy on the verses. The chorus has some clever rhyming words.
Track 9, what can be said. This is a highlight of the album, again a little dark. It enters in with cemetary/horror show music, it makes me think of vampires and orgasms. This is a pretty hot song. "All Black", it celebrates the little weirdo, morbid kid who loves the nightime and wears black and sees the dark side of life. So...basically I love this little ditty. It's so sick, "I'll go to a funeral any day of the week". It's sexy and quite rock and roll. This is what happened when that kid from "Bloody Valentine" met the right girl, and she didn't die like she did in "Ghost of You". I guess this kid is Benji, with Billy on the synths. It makes a nice couple of references to the Man in Black [Johnny Cash] and the Stones, [paint it black]. And at minute 3:42 there is some amazing Benji guitar solo to lull you into a dark, deep rest following this. But bear in mind, this is a happy little goth kid, he's at peace with his nature. Aw, sweet.
"Beautiful Place" - again, this is a beautiful song. It's a little bit like "We Believe" but less like U2, thus better. It's a lot about being alright with yourself and your world, and celebrating it. It's a lot about starting again, "Father can we start over, take me to the places that we lived...". It's about being alright with your childhood, and wanting to rekindle that joy. It juxtaposes the way the world makes people cold, and lonely with how love and the beauty of life can save us from "wasting so many days" and despite "our hearts are dark as the rain" we "live in a beautiful place". This is a lovely song, it's not going to be to your taste unless you like GC, this is a litle selective. Interestingly, none of these songs are really slow. This also has the 'celebratory' piano which showed up in 'Ghost of You' and 'We Believe'.
"Something Else" a love song. This is poppy as hell, cute and poppy. It's got a sort of fun Cyndi Lauper 80's riff. I enjoy it, it's very light hearted. It works the idea that everyone wants something different from their life, and it's different for everyone. "Maybe a roll in the dirt, maybe a seat in first class". The second verse is kind of speaky, and it's really sweet. At first I thought the girl, the smart, posh girl in this song in Beverly Hills was Nicole Ritchie, but actually she talks about money in the second verse, and I've seen "The Simple Life", so not her. It's about people's differences, and cleverly plays a different spin into the electronically inspired sound. This is light, light and fresh.
The second to last song is traditionally a charger on a GC album and "The Broken Heart's Parade" is, it charges in with brass. Yes, kids GC explore SKA. It's got a lot of the same themes as a few others, it's about being 'dressed in black, singing along to the broken heart's parade, i've never been better than i am today'. It's about being with the people who fit in with, being honest about who you are. This is a huge, fat testimony to Good Charlotte being happy with who they are, and what they do. Hell, they are experiementing with SKA, they ignore all sort of convention. This song goes for it, I want to listen to it with all the windows down as we roll into DC from 66 past the Kennedy Centre. It makes me think of DC a lot, very lively. Maybe not even DC, it's a city song. Actually with the carnival sound and the parade, and the lyrics like "the beauty of the broken heart", I would like to propose that this is a sutble, really sutble Hurricane Katrina song.
In the last track, all the stops go. Softer, slower and singing right to you, the fan, on the other end. This is no pain, this is how we get over things. "March On" is what happens when a band really knows their fans. They write songs as personal as "Emotionless" and they put things onto their albums, [eh, that hidden track on Chronicles where Joel basically begs us not to leave him alone, begs us to stick with it, and as far as I can tell we do] well, "March On" is about sticking with it, like a grown-up version of "Hold On" and "Moving On". Really it's a direct appeal to the kids who go to the shows, and who love this band. This is heartfelt, this is the kind of song GC was made for, songs to help people. To help kids, which is lame, and cliche, but that's what they do. It's reallt the last song, no hidden tracks, so we know that the book is shut. They ended it well.
"Good Morning Rivival" is a beautiful album. The songs are well composed, and excellently written. You can feel the production, which may make some people nervous, but I know how GC do live, and I know each and every one of these songs will play beautifully. The album art is stunning, this is the first album since the beginning we were get some good pictures of GC, they were hiding last album, and I think it's because they were a mess. But we see some great shots, from what is a very tasteful shoot. The pictures capture their characters, and Paul is adorable. There is a playing shot, which is important because no one should judge this band outside of live context.
Finally, I would like to say that everyone who gives me grief about GC and who talks shit, should listen to this album and if they do, I suspect opinions would be reviewed. This is a saving grace, a beautiful piece of work from a band that is demonstrating that they will weather the winds of time, and grow-up very gracefully.