The Rotunda

Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: davidorlev.com

After all the anticipation (and a lack of good marketing) a sigh of relief can be had for the boys of Cartel, who decided to take it back to the roots of their success, "Chroma"-- the pop-punk masterpiece that makes it impossible not to copy and paste the lyrics for a Facebook status at least once. Cartel are hoping to recover from the self-titled backlash with "Cycles," an album that proves "Chroma" was the initial jump, "Cartel" was the shaky landing and "Cycles" is the massive bounce-back; almost as if they pressed rewind on the tape, changed some things, and hit play. "Let me reintroduce myself," Pugh confidently addresses on the opening track. Props to the band for owning up to their mistakes, which became the album "Cartel."

Full of shimmering pop numbers built on shiny-riffs and colossal production, "Cycles" is a dubious return to the power-pop that launched the band into the stratosphere. "Let's Go" shakes off all previous constraints and lets the band rock in their element before ensuring listeners that the slump is now indeed over. Cartel stopped trying to impress people with their unique innovations and proved that keeping it simple is just as wildly brilliant as anything else they have attempted.

Their self-titled release does gather a little more criticism than it ultimately deserves, and for the sheer fact the band actually tested the waters of a all-together different sound is at least worth a mention. Despite the reaction and the aftermath of this release, Pugh still proved he is a uniquely talented vocalist who draws people in with his voice and his lyrics, and while there's hardly any room for improvement, his charm (and title choosing) work best when he is given songs like "Conventional Friend" or "Retrograde," two hardcore numbers that bask in aggressive melodies.

Pugh stays true to his form by having fun with the lyrics, especially on the song (ironically enough) entitled "Typical." Joseph Pepper & Nic Hudson's dual-layered guitars strengthen the literal muscle of Cartel's enthusiastic adoration for wall-of-sound pop; Jeff Lett's bass roars across the rhythm section, especially in the album's strongest section; the second half of the record. Kevin Sanders's drumming is persistent, steady and stands out from his previous patterns to blend with the beat perfectly. "Cycles" presents itself as a new beginning, or a way to cleanse the minds of those who remember that whole lets-make-a-record-inside-a-bubble-in-New-York-City incident on MTV a few years back. This group can still make good music, and they intend to remind you of that with "Cycles."

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