Good Charlotte

The Chronicles of Life and Death (Epic)
by Lauren Bussard

With this album, Good Charlotte manages to veer away from their hook-injected punk to take an edgier, more eclectic approach, and their various influences are obvious. “World is Black” sounds like a forgotten Cure b-side, “Predictable” is reminiscent of Sunny Day Real Estate, and all the creepy Danny Elfman-inspired instrumental bits could’ve come straight out of The Nightmare Before Christmas. That might sound like a bizarre mix, but hats off to you, Good Charlotte, because somehow, it works.
(www.epic.com)