Right up until Good Morning Revival, Good Charlotte had conquered almost everything they had set their sights on, and then their crisis in sound seemingly ended it all. Three and a half years later, the band is back with Cardiology, the album that should have followed Life And Death.
 
“Let The Music Play” is the perfect song to start off the record; it not only portrays the band’s growth in music, but also reaffirms the hiatus if for no reason other than Joel Madden’s healthy vocals, now better than ever. The track also sets the scene for Madden’s soul-searching as he sings, “What do I do when it’s all been done? // When the words have all been sung? // And I’ve given up the best of me.”
 
Good Charlotte certainly haven’t forgotten how to write their hooks either. “Counting The Days” sounds familiar to “The Anthem” and no one will be complaining, as it’s one of the catchiest songs on the record joined by “Silver Screen Romance” and “Like It’s Her Birthday.”
 
Cardiology does everything Revival didn’t. Though the band absolutely moves back toward their pop-punk roots in the release, they did not completely ditch their dance-pop efforts in Revival and, for the most part, makes the fusion work, at least more than they had before. “Like It’s Her Birthday” and “Last Night” are by no means the bright spots on the record, but the band makes the pop-punk/dance vibe work in a way not many 21st century bands in the scene have been able to.
 
The record’s biggest issue comes with “Alive,” “Standing Ovation,” and “Harlow’s Song” proving to be the throwaways in one, two, three order, which hurts the flow of the album. The other major downside to Cardiology is Madden’s lyrics, which certainly topple his efforts on Revival, but don’t quite match up to what he’s done before.
 
You might call it a return to the old, but it’s more of a mixture of that and the new. It’s by no means Good Charlotte’s greatest work, but Cardiology might certainly be a commercial hit as well as secret favorite.
 
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