There have always been two main problems with Good Charlotte. One, they have lousy timing. Two, while a lot of people love them, an equal amount loathe them. Case in point – their last album, the really rather good Chronicles Of Life And Death and a fair attempt to add some weight to their punk-pop sound, was released shortly after Green Day’s American Idiot, an album that did much the same job on a gigantic scale.
Good Morning Revival, originally slated for June 2006 release, only now sees the light of day just as My Chemical Romance have eaten up the majority of the exposure and goodwill.
All of which means that Good Charlotte’s continuing attempts to distance themselves from their early cartoon punk days seem to go largely unnoticed. The mixed reaction to the last record seems to have stung them somewhat, and while this is still a step up from the ‘Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous’ days, it still feels like a bit of a retreat.
Thus what we have is a perfectly functional album of loud guitars, ain’t life a bitch lyrics and the odd nod to different production styles and techniques. Is it awful? No. Is it great? Not particularly. Good Morning Revival does nothing to threaten Good Charlotte’s middling status, either by alienating their existing fanbase or striving for a new one. That they have moments when they stretch their own narrow boundaries is undeniable, but they are buried towards the end of the album and by that time most opinions – positive or negative – will be already formed.