Cartel: Cycles

I think it's about time we got away from TV shows for a second and do something else. How about music? Good? Good. For the first music review I'm doing Cartel's new album called Cycles. This is the third album for the pop/punk band and I have to say, it's another decent effort for the band. Keep in mind that this style of music is not for everyone. In fact, if you don't like punk to begin with, you will hate this. Now that we're past that, let's move on.

Cycles is a solid album, not a great one, but it's okay. It has the same folly that their other albums: a lot of their songs starts to sound similar. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing. A good song played back slightly different can make for another good song. Just ask Nickelback, they have at least 3 songs that follow the same formula. I will say this about Cartel, their music is catchy. The intro track "Let's go" is very good, addicting and a great energetic track to start. The drums and the beats behind the singer make for a very likable combo. There are tracks on here that have a good combo of addicting lyrics and good instrumentals. The second track entitled "The Perfect Mistake" follows this formula very well. They have their share of slow songs, but I couldn't really get into them. Maybe it's just my personal tastes, but just couldn't get into more than half the album. This will definitely appeal to the teenage/female pop/punk-loving crowds that Cartel attracts. The tracks I would recommend listening to are as follows:

Let's Go

The Perfect Mistake

Conventional Friend

Three songs really isn't that much for an 11-track album, but the album itself is okay. I'm going to try and be as non-biased as I can be when it comes to music reviews.

This album gets a 6.5. Keep in mind I'm not doing a 6.5 saying it's the equivalent of a D. I'm saying it's a 6.5 because it's a little better than average, which I consider is a 5.

This music beats the loud latin rap that is being blasted upstairs right now, so I'll take it.