Three years after Good Morning Revival, Good Charlotte return with Cardiology, their fifth studio album. Produced by Don Gilmore – the man behind Good Charlotte’s debut album and Good Morning Revival – Cardiology is a return to the fun pop-infused sound of the band’s self-titled debut album and sophomore effort, The Young And The Hopeless
. Cardiology has fifteen tracks, including the short Introduction To Cardiology which is a snippet of the final song and an interlude titled The Fifth Chamber. The album is basically split into two parts: tracks two to eight are uptempo while the rest of the songs are mostly ballads. The first thing that strikes the listener after a full listen is that the doom-and-gloom sound of The Chronicles Of Life And Death is completely gone while the fun and catchiness of Good Charlotte’s first two albums is back along with the party atmosphere of Good Morning Revival.
Cardiology begins with the ubiquitous don’t-give-up song Let The Music Play, although Let The Music Play is closer to “March On” from Good Morning Revival than “Hold On” (The Young And The Hopeless). From then on, it’s fun time with the catchy Counting The Days, Like It’s Her Birthday, Last Night, Sex On The Radio and Alive. Counting The Days’ catchy hook was quite similar to Lostprophets’ work while Like It’s Her Birthday and Last Night felt like a musical continuation of “Dance Floor Anthem.”
The Madden brothers continue their lyrical growth on this album with 1979, There She Goes, and Right Where I Belong all alluding to their past in Maryland in a less awkward manner as their previous albums (I'm looking at you "Predictable").
In the end, Cardiology is a fun album, not a great album but the majority of the songs are catchy and provide an enjoyable listen. Fans of Good Charlotte’s first two albums will definitely enjoy this one as it keeps the fun and positiveness of Good Charlotte and The Young And The Hopeless while adding musical elements from Good Morning Revival that tighten up the whole package.
Final Grade: 3.75/5.
Like It’s Her Birthday Music Video
Full Tracklist:
1. Introduction To Cardiology
2. Let The Music Play
3. Counting The Days
4. Silver Screen Romance
5. Like It’s Her Birthday
6. Last Night
7. Sex On The Radio
8. Alive
9. Standing Ovation
10. Harlow’s Song (Can’t Dream Without You)
11. Interlude: The Fifth Chamber
12. 1979
13. There She Goes
14. Right Where I Belong
15. Cardiology
Hey y'all, it's another playlist for music lovers everywhere. This month's playlist is loaded with rap, indie rock, and the inescapable ballads. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it as much as I did. For those wondering why posts have been so few and far between, come visit us over at Facebook or Twitter where we have daily song selections. Enjoy the playlist!
Full Tracklist
1. We Never Went To Church – The Streets – The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living - 2006
Per Wikipedia, “Never Went to Church is the second single to be taken from The Streets’ third album, The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. Never Went to Church is a tribute to his recently-deceased father. The piano line is a sample of a chord progression from the song "Let It Be" by The Beatles.”
2. Dear Bobbie – Yellowcard – Paper Walls – 2007
One of the most touching songs on Paper Walls, Dear Bobbie is about the 58-year relationship between vocalist Ryan Key’s grandparents. The track features recordings of his 87-year-old grandfather reading a love letter to his wife. “It’s coming from a man who has been in World War II, traveled the world and seen and done it all. He’s been married and in love with the same woman for 58 years, and you can hear it in his voice,” says Key. The video below unfortunately doesn’t have his grandfather’s recordings since it is a live performance. I definitely recommend listening to the album version of the track.
3. Cleaning Out My Closet – Eminem – The Eminem Show – 2002
Cleaning Out My Closet is the second single from Eminem’s fourth album, The Eminem Show. It became the album’s second top-ten single, reaching #4 on the United States Billboard Hot 100.
From Wikipedia: “In the song, Eminem introspectively examines his life reflecting on such topics as his troubled childhood, marital conflicts, and resentful feud with his mother. Eminem underscores his animosity towards her by chanting a hauntingly sarcastic apology in the chorus, claiming "I never meant to hurt you".”
4. Learn You Inside Out – Lifehouse – Who We Are – 2007
Learn You Inside Out is a classic Lifehouse ballad and one of the rare songs that frontman Jason Wade wrote on a piano. One of my favorite tracks from Who We Are.
5. Strawberry Swing – Coldplay – Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends – 2008
Strawberry Swing is the fifth and final single from Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. It contains influences from afro-pop and highlife music, and is built around finger-picked, distortion-free guitars with a heavy bassline and psychedelic synths. Lead singer Chris Martin explained how the song's musical style came into existence: "My mum comes from Zimbabwe, so I spent a lot of time there. I used to work in a studio where people played that." The overall sound of the song was also inspired by Delakota song "The Rock," which utilizes a backward guitar loop.
6. WTF? – OK Go – Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky – 2010
Inspired by Prince, WTF? Is the first single from OK Go’s latest release. It was featured in commercials for the TV shows Bones and Fringe.
7. Evil Eye – Fu Manchu – The Action Is Go – 1997
Our first from the late 90’s, Evil Eye featured on the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater videogames series.
8. Always All Ways (Apologies, Glances and Messed Up Chances) – Lostprophets – Liberation Transmission – 2006
The title says it all. Always All Ways is a mainstream-friendly love ballad which brought a perfect close to Liberation Transmission.
9. I Drove All Night – Roy Orbison – King Of Hearts – 1992
Orbison first recorded I Drove All Night in 1987, but his rendition was not released until 1991, after the song had become a Top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic for Cyndi Lauper in 1989. I first heard it in the Australian movie Paperback Hero and immediately fell in love with it.
10. Speak Now – 7L & Esoteric ft. Vinnie Paz and Apathy – Dangerous Connection – 2002
Featuring Esoteric, Vinnie Paz, Apathy on the mic, and 7L on the beat, there's no way that Speak Now can fail. It’s a great track, made even greater by the last verse superbly delivered by Apathy.
11. Stranger In Moscow – Michael Jackson – HIStory – 1995
Stranger in Moscow is the fifth and final single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The track was written by Jackson in 1993, at the height of the highly publicized child abuse accusations made against him, while on tour in Moscow. Today, it remains one of his most critically-acclaimed pieces.
The third single of Metallica’s Black Album, Nothing Else Matters is one of the band’s most well-known (and also most mainstream-friendly) tracks. It is one of the few Metallica songs in which Hetfield, rather than Hammett, plays the guitar solo. Given that Hetfield recorded all rhythm and most harmony tracks on the band's first five albums, it is therefore the only Metallica song that does not feature Hammett's playing.
I first discovered The Flobots when downloading bands selected at random (it’s something I do every three months to find new artists). The best way to describe their style would be "Alternative Rap Rock." Jet Pack is the second track of their 2005 EP Platypus.
14. If You’re Gone – Matchbox Twenty – Mad Season – 2000
If You’re Gone is the second single from Mad Season. The song became a hit on adult contemporary radio, spending two weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. It also reached #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
15. Starlight – Snowgoons ft. Viro the Virus – Black Snow – 2008
Sampling The Alan Parsons Project’s “Some Other Time” (from the I Robot album) the Snowgoons came up with a brilliant instrumental for Starlight including a softly sung chorus. Viro does well on the mic as well, making Starlight an excellent rap track.
16. Think About You (I Like It) – Kaiser Chiefs – Lap Of Honour (EP) – 2005
Think About You is a Kaiser Chiefs B-side, appearing on the “Oh My God” CD single, as well as the Japan-only EP Lap of Honor. In terms of sound, it’s pretty similar to “Caroline, Yes” which features on the Employment album.
17. Old Timerz – M.O.P – Warriorz – 2000
Just a nice little rap song that I felt was good enough for the playlist. The lyrics are quite repetitive though.
18. Carry Out – Timbaland ft. Justin Timberlake – Timbaland Presents Shock Value II – 2009
Carry Out is the third single from Timbaland’s Shock Value II. Featuring Justin Timberlake, the track is easy to sing along to and gets quickly ingrained in your head.
19. Attics Of My Life – Grateful Dead – American Beauty – 1970
The ninth track of American Beauty, Attics Of My Life is lyrically structured like a prayer and sung with harmonic, slow and revent vocals. It is a great track to relax to.
20. Lullaby For The Summer – Jimi Hendrix – Valleys Of Neptune – 2010
Lullaby For The Summer is the second instrumental from Jimi Hendrix’s posthumous Valleys Of Neptune. It sounds like a remaster of “Ezy Ryder” from The Cry Of Love, making the track not-quite-new material.
21. The Ghost Of Tom Joad – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost Of Tom Joad – 1995
The Ghost of Tom Joad is the title track of Springteen’s eleventh studio album. The character Tom Joad, from John Steinbeck's classic novel The Grapes of Wrath, is mentioned in the title and narrative. Recorded as a quiet folk song, The Ghost of Tom Joad has also been recorded in a radically louder and harsher arrangement by Rage Against the Machine.
22. Blinded In Chains – Avenged Sevenfold – City Of Evil – 2005
The third track of Avenged Sevenfold’s critically-acclaimed City Of Evil, Blinded In Chains features great guitar work by both Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance.
23. Rain – Abs – Abstract Theory – 2003
Rain is one of the few slow songs on Abs’ debut solo record. It’s about moving on from a bad break-up. “Let the rain wash the pain away.”
24. Dance Floor Anthem (I Don’t Want To Be In Love) – Good Charlotte – Good Morning Revival – 2007
Dance Floor Anthem is the second single from Good Morning Revival. Moving on from their pop-punk sound, the track is more of a dance-rock/electronic-rock sound with a slight resemblance to Swedish pop group ABBA.
25. Come On Feet – Pete & The Pirates – Little Death – 2008
Come On Feet was Pete & The Pirates’ debut single. Its popularity grew after an appearance on the UEFA Euro 2008 videogame soundtrack. It’s a great indie rock song.
26. Eat That Up, It’s Good For You – Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History – 2010
Like “Come On Feet,” Eat That Up is another great indie rock track by Nothern Ireland newcomers Two Door Cinema Club. I definitely recommend their debut album to anyone looking to add some good music to their collection.
27. Burning For Love – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi – 1984
Burning For Love is the typical Bon Jovi crowd-pleaser. Memorable chorus, great guitar work. It’s just a fun song to listen to.
28. Rain – Breaking Benjamin – We Are Not Alone – 2004
One of my favorite tracks from Breaking Benjamin, Rain is a great acoustic ballad. Perfect for lonely train rides.
29. Hand Of Blood – Bullet For My Valentine – Hand Of Blood (EP) – 2005
Like “4 Words (To Choke Upon)” from one of our previous playlists, Hand Of Blood is a great track musically but the lyrics are quite repetitive.
30. Kissing A Fool – Michael Buble – Michael Buble – 2003
Kissing A Fool is song written and originally performed by George Michael in 1988 and was then covered by Michael Buble on his self-titled album.
31. Hot Love Drama – MGMT – Climbing To New Lows – 2005
We conclude this month’s playlist with some psychedelic rock from MGMT. Hot Love Drama is a relatively quiet track from their indie debut Climbing To New Lows. The song makes for great background music or for when you just need to relax.
And that's it for this month (or last month, however you want to look at it). Look out for an album review from fellow writer Alain which should be posted sometime this coming week.
Apologies to the readers for the lack of posts during the past couple of months. We were in the middle of a move and are only now fully settled. We come back with June's playlist featuring lots of pop songs to start off the summer. Enjoy!!!
Full Tracklist
1. Somewhere In My Memory (Home Alone Main Title) – John Williams – Home Alone Soundtrack – 1992
Pretty weird to begin the summer with a Christmas song but that's what popped out of my randomizer. Somewhere In My Memory was nominated for Best Original Song in the 1990 Academy Awards. Composed by John Williams, it bears some resemblance to the Harry Potter main theme ("Hedwig's Theme") also composed by Williams.
2. Southside – Common ft. Kanye West – Finding Forever – 2007
Southside is the sixth track on Common's seventh album. It was produced by Kanye West who also raps on the track.
3. Island In The Sun – Weezer – Weezer (The Green Album) – 2001
The summer track by excellence, Island In The Sun is the second single from Weezer's third album. You may have heard it in several movies and some commercials. Two videos were made for the song, one during a Mexican wedding and the other with animals. The latter has had more airplay on television but I got both right here for you to enjoy.
4. All That Shit Is Gone – Carolina Liar – Coming To Terms – 2008
I've mentioned Carolina Liar in a previous playlist and I definitely think that their debut (Coming To Terms) is a must-have album. Chad Wolf's singing is flawless on every track and the instrumentals are solid.
5. Blurry – Puddle Of Mudd – Come Clean – 2001
The second single from the album Come Clean, Blurry is arguably Puddle Of Mudd's biggest song. It reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks as well as reaching the #5 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
6. Theme For Young Lovers – Percy Faith – Ocean's Eleven Soundtrack – 2001
The second song from Ocean's Eleven Soundtrack to make an appearance, Theme For Young Lovers is a relaxing track and will send the oldie-lovers swooning.
7. Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution – AC/DC – Back In Black – 1980
The final track of an all-time classic album, Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution is the perfect statement song against rock haters. As usual, the guitar intro is excellent and the rest of the track is simply awesome.
8. Valentine's Day – Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight – 2007
Many fans were disappointed by Linkin Park's third effort (fourth if you count Reanimation). The rap-rock component of their music which had been a large part of their success was suddenly gone, replaced by more alternative rock led by Chester Bennington's vocals. Still, Minutes To Midnight is a solid album. Valentine's Day is one those tracks hated by some fans but loved by others. Personally, I love its simplicity and softness.
9. It's Goin' Down – X-Ecutioners ft. Mike Shinoda & Mr. Hahn – Built From Scratch - 2002
From “new” Linkin Park, we move to “old” Linkin Park. Although the band itself had nothing to do with the X-Ecutioners' track, It's Goin' Down feels like a Linkin Park track with LP frontman Mike Shinoda on the mic, Phoenix on bass and Rob Bourdon on drums. Wayne Static from Static-X features as guitarist.
10. The Saints Are Coming – U2 ft. Green Day – U218 Singles – 2006
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, U2 and Green collaborated on The Saints Are Coming, a cover of the Skids' track. After its release, the song became the unofficial anthem of the New Orleans Saints, playing in the Superdome before the team's entrance.
11. Stop Crying Your Heart Out – Oasis – Heathen Chemistry – 2002
The second single from Heathen Chemistry, Stop Crying Your Heart Out is the staple song for hardship times in movies. It's the perfect song to listen to when going through tough times.
12. Straight Through My Heart – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us – 2009
The first single of the Backstreet Boys' latest release, Straight Through My Heart is a return to the dance-pop sound that was at the Boys' origin. The chorus is catchy and easily memorable while the performance part in the video is reminiscent of their first-ever music video for “We've Got It Goin' On.”
13. I Hate Everything About You – Three Days Grace – Three Days Grace – 2003
Three Days Grace broke out of nowhere in 2003 with their punchy debut single I Hate Everything About You. The song is the perfect anthem for angsty teenager with its straight-forward chorus and simple instrumental.
14. Mad World – Michael Andrews & Gary Jules – Donnie Darko Soundtrack – 2002
Originally, Mad World was a song by the British band Tears For Fears which became a worldwide hit in the early eighties. Twenty years later, the song surged back to the top of the charts thanks to Michael Andrews and Gary Jules' cover of the song on the Donnie Darko soundtrack. It became even bigger when it was included in the commercial to the videogame Gears of War for the Xbox 360 in 2006.
15. Meant To Live – Switchfoot – The Beautiful Letdown – 2003
In 2003, Switchfoot broke into mainstream consciousness with this single. The first track of major-label debut album, it peaked at #5 on the US Modern Rock chart and #18 on the US Hot 100. There we three videos made for this song: a live performance footage mash-up, a classic music video, and a video for the movie Spiderman 2. You can see all three below.
16. Set The Fire To The Third Bar – Snow Patrol ft. Martha Wainwright – Eyes Open – 2006
One of my favorite songs from Eyes Open, Set The Fire To The Bar is a slow ballad about long distance relationships. It is the fourth single of the album and came back to the US Billboard Top 100 this year thanks to an appearance on the Dear John movie trailer.
17. I'm An American – La Coka Nostra ft. B-Real – A Brand You Can Trust – 2009
I'm An American was the first song that got me into La Coka Nostra. A simple piano loop serves as the main component of the instrumental. Cypress Hill's B-Real makes a nice appearance on the last verse while Sicknature gets co-credit as producer.
18. Swear It Again – Westlife – Westlife – 1999
Swear It Again is Westlife's first-ever single. It peaked at #1 in the UK and is Westlife's only single to have charted in the USA, peaking at #20. Pop fans will notice that the concept for the UK video was later copied by the Backstreet Boys for their video of "Shape Of My Heart." The US video was directed by Nigel Dick, a frequent director of boyband music videos.
19. Cyclone – Dub Pistols – Point Blank – 1998
Fans of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater videogames series will recognize this song as it featured on THPS2. Great beat, great song.
20. Southside Revival – Blue Scholars – The Long March EP – 2005
Like “Cyclone,” Southside Revival has a great beat but its message is even better. Geo is a great lyricist who makes songs even better thanks to his great delivery.
21. Sorrow – Box Car Racer – Box Car Racer - 2002
Sorrow is the ninth track on Box Car Racer's great debut album. Like most of the songs on the album, it's a solid track led by Tom DeLonge's unmistakable voice and Travis Barker's drumming.
22. Running Out Of Days – 3 Doors Down – Away From The Sun - 2002
The title of this track is self-explanatory: it's a song about running out of days. As in most of 3 Doors Down's discography, Brad Arnold's vocals are perfect. The video below is a live performance of the song.
23. Play That Country Tuba, Cowboy – The Vandals – The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes – 1999
Play That Country Tuba, Cowboy is a hilarious song featuring a tuba as the lead instrument. I was surprised to find a cover of the song on YouTube and was impressed by the tuba player so I thought I'd put the video below just to give you an idea of the song.
24. The Beginning – BBMak – Into Your Head – 2002
The Beginning is the final song of BBMak's second – and last – album. It's a nice slow song with emphasis on harmonies between the vocalists.
25. Invincible – Five – Invincible - 1999/2000
Another ballad to please pop fans, Invincible is primarily piano-driven with a Spanish guitar weaving in and out of the instrumental. As usual, Rich and Scott share the vocals on this one, leaving the others to backing vocals.
26. Gung-Ho – Anthrax – Spreading The Disease - 1985
I had several Anthrax tracks to choose from for this month's playlist. I picked Gung-Ho simply because of its insane rhythm.
27. Take My Hand, Precious Lord – B.B. King & Friends – Night Of Blistering Blues – 2005
This classic gospel song was covered by Etta James, Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight on B.B. King's Night Of Blistering Blues live-album. This American classic was Dr. Martin Luther King's favorite song and was often sung at civil rights rallies.
28. This Side Of Paradise – Bryan Adams – Room Service – 2004
This Side Of Paradise was the fourth single from Bryan Adams' ninth studio album. It peaked at #20 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart.
29. Blood Of Heroes – Megadeth – Youthanasia – 1994
Youthanasia was one of the few albums we reviewed in our now-defunct Blast From The Past column. There are several good songs on it but Blood Of Heroes was this month's choice.
30. Growing – CYNE – Evolution Fight – 2005
Growing is a nice track to chill to thanks to its floaty instrumental. The lyrics aren't bad either.
And this concludes this month's playlist. Stay tuned for mini and full reviews. Also, don't forget to follow us on Facebook (just click on the Facebook box on the left column) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/MuzikalMafia) for daily updates.
Hello folks, first of all I'd like to apologize for our lack of reviews this month. We both have been pretty busy with school and other stuff. We got some reviews on the backburner so we'll get them posted as soon as we can. Now, the monthly playlists still go on. We didn't post anything for Easter since we were out of town but I think you will get plenty of satisfaction with this month's list. It has numerous classics as well as great indie bands and underground rappers. In my opinion, this is our first truly “balanced” playlist in terms of worldwide hits and indie stuff. I hope you'll enjoy it.
Snow is melting, the sun is shining an the birds are slowly coming back. Yep, it's the end of winter and with it comes another Muzikal Mafia Playlist. This month features more pop artists (Backstreet Boys, Westlife, NSYNC, Daniel Bedingfield, Michael Jackson), a couple of indie bands (Look See Proof, Carolina Liar) as well as some punk and blues-rock. Of course, there's also the ever-present rock and hip hop songs. So, read, listen, learn, and most of all, enjoy!!!
Well, here we are at the end of another cold and snowy February made only less depressing by some good music. After two 'holiday'-themed playlists, we introduce our first full-month playlist today. I've changed the format a bit to get rid of the cluster of YouTube videos. So this time around, there's a widget to listen to clips of most of the songs and the full tracklist where I put a good mix of live and official music videos.
Love has always been a prevalent theme in music no matter the genre. Well, what other perfect day there is to make a love songs compilation? As promised, here are 14 songs to celebrate Valentine's Day with your significant other. As always, this isn't a list of the best love songs to date - I leave that choice up to you in the comments section. There are some classics on it as well as more recent tracks that you aren't familiar with. It's for everyone, young and old, male or female, whoever you are, there will be a song that speaks to you on this list. As for those who can't stand Valentine's Day, there is a little present at the end for you guys. You see everyone gets presents today. Enjoy!
1. "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" – Bryan Adams – Waking Up The Neighbours – 1991
Hello all and welcome to the first edition of Muzikal Mafia's holiday playlist. In case you missed it, we, here at Muzikal Mafia, have decided to publish monthly playlists in order to introduce our readers to new (and old) music. Basically, every month – andon the occasional holiday – we'll post a random list of songs which we feel people should check out. On those lists, there will be both mainstream and non-mainstream tracks.
We start today with 18 songs for Martin Luther King Day and I gotta tell ya, making that list wasn't easy. A first, I wanted to put only rap songs but I quickly realized that taking this approach led me away from my goal, which is to broaden everybody's (rap lovers and rockers alike) musical horizons. I then decided to list political songs but I came to the conclusion that other dates were more fitting for the political stuff. Then, I thought about putting any song which had a title, lyric, or vibe that could be associated with MLK's death and/or the South in general. The final result is a mishmash of all those ideas put together. You got some rap songs, some rock, some political stuff, some random stuff, and three french songs to add some international flavor. Keep in mind, I didn't want this list to be only about MLK, but about hope, life, love, social justice, and so on. Enjoy
Ann 2
Alain
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