Cardiology (album)

The album's title, according to Joel Madden, is about the rough concept of "a studying of the heart".[13] Joel Madden told MTV news; "There's nothing dance-y on the record, though, at all, which is different from our last one".[4] Mostly removed from the dance-punk sound of Good Morning Revival,[14] Cardiology is a return to the pop punk sound of their earlier work[14][15][16][17][18] and has also been called pop rock.[19] The brothers mostly compared it to their 2002 album The Young and the Hopeless, which features big hooks and a lot of harmonies.[6]

Electronic elements can be heard on the album; a reoccurring synthesizer in "Let the Music Play",[20] the intro to "Last Night", the entirety of "Interlude: The Fifth Chamber",[16] and a synthesizer throughout "Cardiology".[21] The majority of the music is credited to Benji Madden and co-writers John Feldmann, Gilmore, Joel Madden, Matt Squire and Detail. The Madden brothers wrote most of the lyrics with occasional contributions from Gilmore, Feldmann and Detail. Additional writing was done by Gilmore, Sam Hollander, Dave Katz and Luke Walker.[22]

"Introduction to Cardiology" is an a cappella track in the vein of the Beach Boys[23] and consists solely of a line from the title-track. Benji Madden said "Let the Music Play" is similar to "Hold On" from The Young and the Hopeless, which was inspired by comments on a blog post on the group's website in which they said they would re-record the album. "Counting the Days" is a "love letter" to their fans, according to Madden.[24] Madden said "Silver Screen Romance" is "totally the Good Charlotte return to pop-punk";[25] it features a distorted vocal track in the middle section.[20] The song is about each of the band members' love for something or someone.[24] The dance-rock track[23] "Like It's Her Birthday" is a mix of the group's self-titled and Good Morning Revival albums.[24]

Madden said "Last Night" is "almost like the sequel" to "Dance Floor Anthem".[24] "Sex on the Radio" in an attempt to emulate the spirit of the hearing of a woman's voice on a radio.[6] The track reminds Madden of the music of the Cars and Cheap Trick, and is about "all the girls out there who make boys want to start bands and go on tour".[24] "Alive" is the "most straightforward rock" on the album, according to Madden.[24] The Madden brothers wrote "Standing Ovation" about Joel's children and their niece. Benji Madden learned how to play guitar by listening to Oasis; the track is "straight out of the Noel Gallagher handbook".[24]

The piano-led track[26] "Harlow's Song (Can't Dream Without You)" was written solely for Joel Madden's daughter Harlow but was included on the album after Benji Madden became emotional after hearing it. Madden made "Interlude: The Fifth Chamber" to give the listener "a musical breather".[24] "1979" is about the happy memories of the Madden brothers' family, mainly their parents. "There She Goes" is about how the realization "things change, but we’re still the same boys no matter how far we go from home".[24] Discussing "Right Where I Belong", Madden said; "No matter what happens or what I experience, God and music are always waiting for me with open arms. This song says just that."[24]

Cardiology received generally mixed reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic,[49] and AnyDecentMusic? provided an average of 3.5/10.[48] AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine said; "Maturity doesn’t necessarily suit the band ... but every step Good Charlotte makes toward a comfortable middle age on Cardiology is a step that succeeds, producing music that resonates louder and longer than the flashy twaddle of Good Morning Revival".[14] Evan Lucy of Alternative Press praised the album for its return-to-roots musical style and wrote, "Good Charlotte might be multi-platinum superstars, but Cardiology might be their best effort yet".[49] The A.V. Club writer Jason Heller pondered whether a back-to-basics approach was worth anything, before answering himself: "As it turns out, zip."[23] TC of Clash cautioned readers to avoid the album, stating it was "meandering chirpy slobber that sounds more boy band than ever".[50]

BBC Music Fraser McAlpine complimented the "sumptuous production touches" but said listeners do not hear a Good Charlotte record "expecting sonic revelation" and wrote the listener receives "a bunch of energetic, melodic, fun songs on the themes of love, girls and, well, more fun".[21] Consequence of Sound founder Alex Young said the first half of the album, which features material similar to that of their earlier releases, lacks the "same punch" the group once had and that the foray into growing their sound "probably only works well enough to satisfy hardcore fans".[26] In a review for Entertainment Weekly, Andy Greenwald found the album "struggles to stay relevant ... though [Joel Madden's] heart hasn't failed him, unfortunately his ear for hooks has".[51] NME's Matt Wilkinson accused the band of unoriginality in their song titles and concluded the album is "monstrously offensive" and "the latest shit-streak from music's laziest sons".[52]

Amy Bangs of Rock Sound praised the group's decision to abandon "their early material's urban (ish) influences, while maintaining the fun parts of pop-punk", leaving listeners with "the Good Charlotte that brought us the brilliantly catchy 'Seasons' or 'Festival Song', without the awkward rapping interludes. And for that we thank them."[15] Rolling Stone writer Jon Dolan said the album is "rife with signs of rock ambition" but the eventual "results are still kid-friendly and mostly forgettable".[53] Spin reviewer Mikael Wood wrote that the album "dials down the sparkle [of Good Morning Revival], which is kind of a bummer".[54] Us Weekly's Ian Drew called it "their most diverse foray into pop-rock so far", with "both downright danceable fun" and "light nostalgia".[19] Nicholas Coren of Virgin Music said the band "restore the sound that their fans grew to love when they started, resulting with a fusion of tracks that sound like they're from the era" of their first two albums.[18]

Cardiology debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200[55] and appeared on five additional Billboard charts; it peaked at number six on the Alternative Albums chart,[56] number seven on the Top Rock Albums chart,[57] number 13 on the Digital Albums chart,[58] number 24 on the Internet Albums chart,[59] and number 28 on the Top Current Albums chart.[60] As of September 2011, the album has sold over 52,000 copies in the U.S.[61] and charted at number three in Australia,[62] number 18 in New Zealand,[63] number 24 in Switzerland,[64] number 29 in Austria,[65] number 46 in Germany,[66] number 63 in the UK,[67] and number 67 in France.[68] It was later certified gold in Australia.[69]

"Like It's Her Birthday" charted in the U.S. at number 13 on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart,[70] number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart,[71] number 33 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart,[72] and number 36 on the Dance Club Songs chart.[73] "Counting the Days" charted at number 26 on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart.[70]

In Australia, "Like It's Her Birthday" charted at number seven,[74] "Sex on the Radio" charted at number 26,[74] and "Last Night" charted at number 27.[74][75] All three songs were certified platinum in Australia.[76][75]

In 2016, Benji Madden said of Cardiology; "It was really important, more emotionally than anything else at that time. That record was more for me and the band than it was for anybody else."[77]