Good Charlotte - 'The River'
Sometimes, life can be very complex in terms of likes and dislikes; you know there are things which you don't have any good reasons for liking but you do anyway. Sometimes these things are very, very wrong and not at all the sort of thing which Chartblog would condone but sometimes they're completely harmless pastimes that are, for whatever reason, socially unacceptable. For instance, peeling PVA glue off your fingers - you shouldn't like it, it ought to be annoying but it's got a strange fascination to it that essentially makes it completely ace. In this sense, this song is the PVA glue on the hands of the music world.
For starters, it's Good Charlotte. This, in itself, would not be a totally bad thing because they're quite funny and write quite good pop songs except sometimes they do just start talking a lot of rubbish and making you feel a bit like they might sell a few more records if they weren't allowed to open their mouths so much.
Secondly, though (and this is the crucial part) it's got two characters called M Shadows and Synyster Gates on it. Now I've not seen their birth certificates so maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree here but you can't really blame people for forming conceptions of you as perhaps something of a drama queen if you seem to have named yourself after theme park rides at Edgar Allen Poe-land. And then their being in Avenged Sevenfold, one of many bands in competition for the Worst Thing In Music title doesn't really go any way towards helping their case either, if I'm honest, although 'A7X' fans might call me biased.
Thirdly, putting publicity-desperate prize fool and general offense to sanity Jeffree Starr in the video is a bit like throwing your CDs to the wind screaming "GO, FLY TO THE DEPTHS, MY PRETTIES! BWA HA HA!"
Then again, sometimes you take a whole set of potentially bad things, like instant mashed potato, cheap white bread and salt and make the best sandwich ever. In this sense, this song is less like PVA glue and more like the sort of thing I eat for dinner (I'm not ruling out PVA glue if times get really desperate, although Chartblog cannot condone the consumption of inedible substances) and without adding any more metaphors or revealing any more of my weird habits, what I'm trying to say is that this song is ace.
Suppose if you will that the heavy religious metaphors are the cheap white bread - slightly offensive and nearly totally unpalatable on their own, especially when offered so deadly earnestly, as opposed to a Maz Manson drawl, for example.
Then you have the growly-voiced rockery snarling guitars, which make the instant mashed potato; not necessarily a correlation everyone would draw but work with me here, both can be fairly lumpy and if they're allowed to go cold, revert to a state you could not possibly consider eating. Not that anyone eats guitars outside of Blondie lyrics but nevermind...
The last ingredient of this mix would be the salt, comparable with the speed of the song (which comes in at a fairly breakneck three minutes fifteen seconds) and which manages to gel the whole thing together. It somehow transforms into a frantic semi-disco, surprisingly abrasive rant which is going by too fast to care if it left its dignity somewhere in the opening notes. It's annoying and it's catchy and! it's surprisingly likeable, even if it is ten times heavier than anything else on 'Good Morning Revival.' It's coherent, where mess could very easily have reigned, and whether it's about Hilary Duff or not, it seems dorkily genuine enough to get away with taking itself far too seriously.
The PVA glue in all this, for anyone still keeping track, is probably you standing in a supermarket ten hours after hearing the song and finding yourself humming the bridge. Frustrating but ace.
Download: Out now
CD Released: May 21st
(Hazel Robinson)
Comments
Lol! My PVA glue is candle wax. It's just so tempting to dip your finger in it when you blow it out! The mashed potato sandwich things sound very odd though!
I love this song. I love a lot of the songs on the album! And I can't wait to see them!! :D
more goblins!
i love love love this song, soooooooo much! its the best song off good morning revival by far....im not sure what to think of the rest of the album, save broken hearts parade which is also great but this song is one of the BEST theyve EVER made, EVER! its thanks to this band that i like the music that i like. i dont care what other people think about them, i know they have many a critic for having money and spending it but theyve achieved it all on their own....they made themselves who they are, not like these people like paris hilton who was born into it all. theyve had it tough but come out fighting. im fulfilling a huge wish by going to see them one week tomoz and i cant wait :D
3 stars, come on, 4 atleast! :P
anyway, a band that can fit the line "just because i walk like obi-wan kenobi" has to be genius right??
and avenged sevenfold are good too :)
bloomin goblins! (spidey 3 :'()
this is the 2nd time on trying to post this
can fit the line "just because i walk like obi-wan kenobi" into a song is what i meant soz
genius indeedy :P
I saw them.. ehh can't even remember when really. They were supported by Millencolin anyways, t'was good. Would have been better if I'd been there with people who liked them as much as I did though. You know the way it's never as good if your friends are being less enthusiastic?
yeah, my 2 friends i went 2 see lostprophets with didnt know any of their stuff and the same 2 are going to gc and they dont really know gcs stuff either but my cousin is going aswell and she loves them too so itll be good....and at mcr i went with my cousin and she only kew the black parade stuff..hmmm, i think these people only go cus i make them :S
haha that's the story of my life! Half my friends don't even like the same music as me anymore so I end up dragging people back from unis to come to gigs with me :P Better than going with bored people though!
theres no way im gonna miss out just cus my friends dont wanna go 2....i brought one of them the gc ticket for her birthday so its like it or lump it really :P
Lol I do that :P I was giving away my All American Rejects spare tickets because the people that would have payed to come couldn't make it because of exams. Ended up getting the money for one though which was cool.
this is gonna make me sound really sad, but I have recently been to a few gigs on my own. This is because I am sick of trying to persuade my friends (I do have some, honest) to come with me. Some of them are just lazy, others state they have 'grown out of it' and the rest are just plain mean!
admittidley is not quite as fun on your own on the train journey etc, but seeing as I tend to lose people during the gig anyway it doesn't make alot of difference.
p.s. Avenged Sevenfold, worst thing in music title? you gotta be kidding me, they're the new G'n'R!
[They may well be, but I like to call them 'Avenged Sevenpence'. For no other reason than it makes me smile. - Fraser]
I wouldn't like queuing on my own! Quite fun to have someone to talk to between bands too. And to stop you getting trampled by people!
Fraser.. you're a madman!
[It works with lots of band names, I find. 50 Pence, 2Pence Shakur, 36 Crazypence, 30 Pence To Mars...why not try it yourself? - Fraser]
K you shall be called Fraser McAlpence now then ;)
[Right you are. Can I still call you Lil Katty? - Fraser]
If you wish to irritate me to the point of no return then sure! ;)
Maroon 5pence, 3 pence down, coldpence, evanespence, plus 44pence,
You must get very bored to come up with stuff like this.. tis kinda fun though :P
[Yeah, it's the 'kinda fun' bit that makes it worthwhile. Not that it IS worthwhile, obv.. - Fraser]
Fivepence for Fighting, 12 Stone Pence..
..This is really adversely affecting my revision. I'm turning everything into pence.
ooh so it started working again, huh? I didn't even realise that one had sent... which probably means it sent every time it said it didn't then, eh? If so.. sorry! :P
this song is awesome. the songs from their new album are different to the songs they sing on any of their other albums. it has a different beat and its different to the songs i listen to.
sixpence none the richer. . . no wait, I don't think I understand this game.
lol I think that should still count.. it does after all have pence in it! Fraser? It's your game after all :P
[Nope. If it had been Pencepence None The Richer, or Sixpence None Pence Richer, it would be valid. Try again! - Fraser]
ah dammit, 'pencepence none the richer', that is good.
I swear there is/was a band called 'pennywise' or 'pennypence'.
aw spoilsport :P
This Provipence, Snow Pence Troll,
i dunno bout pennywise or pennypence but there was a band called pencey prep. thats the band that frank iero was in before mcr :D
you can check out their myspace on if you want :)
i liove this kinda music n i think dat this song is reaally good !!!
Lolz....i LOVE this song! A while ago was gonna go to a gc concert. Me and my 3 friends decided to go and i thought it would be fun. The day before I booked, they all confronted me saying they got bored of 'my' kind of music and didn't want to go....I ended up not going cos i wasnt going on my own. It wasn't the 1st time they'd done that though! How unfair?,,,,,,
Anyway....like i said, LOVE LOVE LOVE this song and gc. Bye people!
p.s whats with the avenged sevenpence, 50pence, 2pence shakur stuff people keep saying? I'm confused! >:( ?
xxxxx
[Start at comment No.10 in this list and work down from there. It's a silly game, but quite addictive! - Fraser]
you're right Fraser, it is a silly game. to be honest I'm still bitter about my sixpence none the richer effort, which was spectacularly shot down by your good self.
and Rachel, I feel for you. As in a previous heart outpouring session of mine on chartblog when I told the story of how my friends have all 'grown out' of the music I love. Resulting in me going to gigs on my own. . . I feel your pain.
[Don't be bitter, Jamie...be BETTER! Mind you, I wonder if Sixpence None The Richer were playing the pence game and had previously been called something else? Like Six Fences None The Richer... - Fraser]
GC in 2 days! :P aweesome!
Penceback. Does it have to be pence or can it be penny 'cos pennyback sounds nicer.
[Pennyback is allowed. - Fraser]
thankya kindly :)
hahaa kat, gc tomorrow for me :P this time 2moz :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
awesome :P You better not come back saying it was awful though!!
im sure i wont, and if i do then i doubt it would stop you going anyway.....anyway, i swear i read somewhere that benji said he has a soft spot in his heart for the uk fans or summat so lets hope they put on a good show for us :)
the gig was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and JOEL MADDEN MADE EYE CONTACT WITH ME :D he looked straight at me, raised his eyebrows and smiled...at me :D:D:D:D:D and i made a fool of myself by gawping back gobsmacked :S ohwell, still :D:D:D and afterwards i met 2 of the guys from the support act, beat union. theyr really nice guys so good luck to them for the future
Aye was grand, they could have done with turning the mics up a bit though, were pretty drowned out a lot of the songs lol. Lovely and chatty though, they tried to do scottish accents, aw bless! Have another hour to kill at the bus stop now though! Living in a village is super fun!
i live in a village too, on a farm....atleast by the sounds of it you have a decent bus service. from where i live there is one bus into town at about 10.20am and then one which comes back arond 2pm so i have to rely on my parents to get me about, still only 2 months then i can learn to drive :D
I'm still saving up for a car lol. Isn't half expensive! Our bus service is okay though, we're an hour out from Glasgow and have a bus roughly once an hour until 9pm and the last one is at 11:30 which is okay enough for gigs (though usually full of drunken 14yr olds on a Friday night.. eugh! I'm just lucky 'cause I live in the village where the bus depot is, some of the surrounding villages are in the same situation as you :P Costs a fortune though, a return is 5quid!!!
Frase, your muscial knowledge is second to none. I just read on Wiki they used to be called 'Sick Fences None the Richer'.
Well at least that's what it said until it was deleted a couple of minutes ago. Damn those Wiki Boffs!
Kat/Kerri - I take it the GC gigs were good then? Any special guest appearances from M. Shadows and Synester Gates (classic names) on 'The River'?
sadly not, avenged sevenfold should so have been the support band, that would have been great! beat union were ok, not really my kind of thing but they seemed nice people when i met the two guys at the end.....kat, what do you think of joels new hair? and did he come on stage when beat union were on?? he did for us :P
I liked the support's first 2 songs, but no he didn't come on with them. Not terribly impressed with his hair actually!
i like it, its more like the old gc when they had madder hair, rather then greasy hair (paul) no hair (benji) and facial hair (billy though glady he shaved)... i suppose joels hair hasnt really changed over the years until now but i must say i like, but i liked before too..hmm, as long as he doesnt go bald like benji he'll still be good looking, and as long as he doenst grow a forest face ;P
OMG! this is the most pathetic thing i have ever seen! just becasue you do not like them never in your life listened to there music we dont see any reason for your rudeness and critisism of this amazing band! they have chosen these stage names because it means something to them and we obviously dont expect you to understand where this band is coming from! BASICALLY YOUR COMMENT DONT MEAN ANYTHING THEY ARE A KICK-ASS BAND!
A7X FOREVER
BIATCH
By the way M.SHADOWS & SYNYSTER GATES ARE AWESOME NAMES!!!!!
[Would now be a really bad time to remind ChartBlog readers of the time I called A7X 'Avenged Sevenpence'? Thought so...er...beeyaitch. - Fraser]
Fraser= beeyaitch! wot is that all you own sevenpence...
[Oh this is fun! This is like one of those rap battles, like in 8 Mile, or something! OK, I see your beeyaitch and your claim that I've only got seven pence and I raise you this...
*clears throat*
"Did you know that 'team sevenfold' is an anagram of 'fled steam oven'? That's right, you're scared of the cooker!"
Fraser FTW!]
Awww how sad, I think you got a bit offended by my last comment seeing as you didn't post it, wah wah! Your probably not gonna post this one either, well I guess I won, Right?
Better luck next loser. BTW by not posting this your just proving that you are a sad little kid that can't handle a little competition.
Merry Christmas...p****.
[I didn't get a last comment. And the only reason this one didn't go up straight away is because you swore in it. The last thing you said that I got was "wot is that all you own sevenpence", which I answered above. So whatever it was that you said which you think is brilliantly offensive, I haven't read. Merry Christmas yourself! - Fraser]
Well I guess it's better that you didn't read it, you probably would have cried, we don't want that do we?
I said, don't you feel clever that you made up that pathetic little anogram all by yourself? I really think you need to get out alot more. Plus the odd foul word describing yourself. Mainly words stating what a sad homosexual you are. Happy now? I didn't use swear words.
I'm actually kinda confused, why would you diss a band you don't even know? What have they ever done to you?
So Fraser, I'm looking forward to you prompt reply.
[Dearie me... Would it help you if I said I'd already spent my dinner money this week or what? Still, seeing as we're here and we seem to be doing this...
a: How do you know what bands I know?
b: Oh no, everyone, he called me a homosexual. I. Am. So. Insulted. Now.
c: At least I can SPELL anAgram.
d: A proper bully would have the nerve to put their name to this. It wouldn't make me cry either way, but I'd respect you a little. You're awfully sensitive, aren't you?
Can I go now, or were you going to try and administer the world's first blog-wedgie or something? - Fraser]
OK, I expect McFly fans to have a huge stress out for no real reason, but Avenged Sevenfold fans? I thought you'd act a tad more mature. And goblins always steal comments so that'd explain where yours went, and Fraser rocks so bleh to you!
ps sorry Fraser, I know you can stick up for yourself or whatever but through lack of sleep (and phooey cricket) I'm in a grumpy mood and this has annoyed me
Well hello again!
a) My feud is not with you it's with this hazel person who wrote the damn blog
b) No I don’t know what bands you like
c) Oh and I am not a he I am a she!
d) How old are you anyways? 40, you probably don’t know good music when you hear it!
Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
What Kerri? I'm immature? Oh well I'm ever so sorry for not liking McFly, Cause thats real mature right? I mean, I have five colours in my hair too!
And I quote:
"Secondly, though (and this is the crucial part) it's got two characters called M Shadows and Synyster Gates on it. Now I've not seen their birth certificates so maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree here but you can't really blame people for forming conceptions of you as perhaps something of a drama queen if you seem to have named yourself after theme park rides at Edgar Allen Poe-land. And then their being in Avenged Sevenfold, one of many bands in competition for the Worst Thing In Music title doesn't really go any way towards helping their case either, if I'm honest, although 'A7X' fans might call me biased."
So Kerri put your rose tinted McFly glasses back on and give that a proper read dear.
Merry "McFly" Christmas!
Excuse me? "Rose rose tinted McFly glasses"?! I never said I liked McFly, I just said I'd expect this stupid arguing from someone with the maturity of a 12 year old. Anyway, atleast when the McFly fans had a go they were bold enough to use their own names rather than hiding behind a band name. Atleast then the comments were associated with the individual rather than the band, which is what you're doing, and I'm sure the band wouldn't like being associated with your views, as they are that, YOUR VIEWS, not the bands. And talking about the views of individuals, respect other peoples then they may respect yours.
For gods sake Team Sevenfold GROW UP! I know this isn't my battle either, but when I just read through some new comments on this website on christmas and see your immature comments it makes me really annoyed! Honestly! 'Rose-tinted McFly glasses' 'what a sad homosexual you are' 'wot is that all you own sevenpence' do you know how childish you sound? seriously, how old are you? I'm probably slightly younger than you and I'm probably more mature. Like I said, just grow up 'BEEYAITCH'!
Oh for heaven's sake, Mr Sevenfold. I apologise for not replying to your tirade until now but I've been at my parents' house making mince pies and the like.
1) Whilst, as someone who's gone through life with a fairly socially difficult name, I would say calling yourself 'Synyster Gates' is the sort of idiocy which is asking for ridicule, there's a whole lot of difference between calling yourself a silly name and calling someone else a silly name. Exactly why is Fraser supposed to be offended by the view that he is a 'sad homosexual' -sure, it's not nice being any sexuality and feeling down but that's just a plain ol' rubbish attempt at an insult.
2) Oh come on, I said I quite like the song despite their being on it. Not everyone has to like a band just because you do; you'd probably hate a lot of the music I like but I'm not going to start throwing about homophobic slurs if you insult Shellac.
3) Avenged Sevenfold are the sort of obnoxious, snotty band (and I by no means mean that as a direct insult; many bands are obnoxious and snotty, it's part of the rock'n'roll attitude or whatever) that thrives on criticism of that kind. I'm probably doing you a favour anyway, if you are the street team.
4) Those really are ridiculous names.
5) Their music really is very bad and you'll probably be very embarassed by it in about two years. It's derivative in the extreme, barely crafted so much as copied and whilst it's possible to write fresh songs in an old style ('I'm Not OK' by MCR springs to mind) there's fitting into a narrative of rock history and being a historical re-enactment society.
6) Before you mention it, I'm twenty actually and I do quite like McFly.
Nadolig Llawen!
You are excused. I would appreiciate it if you would kindly but out, seeing as my problem is not with you, it's not with Fraser, it's with the fool that wrote this sad little blog, so why don't you go back to reading McFly internet blogs and let me deal with my problem.
Enjoy your Christmas and New Year.
oh wait i see you are copying Fraser's quote 'use your own name!'
Thanks for the lovely advise, have a nice day.
[Christmas Day, you'll notice. Season of goodwill to all. Even people who like McFly and/or Avenged Sevenfold. Time for everyone to calm down, I think, now that Hazel has replied to Teamy's concerns, or this is just going to get stupid(er). - Fraser]
OH for gods sa[Right, that's enough, Teamy. From here on in, the sneery bits of your comments are coming out, cos sometimes (and I hate to break this to you) you can come across as being, well, not a very nice person (or persons), which I'm sure is not your intention. So here's the parts which are fit for public consumption. - Fraser]
And to you HAZEL, I wrote homosexual because "Fraser" didn't want any swearing so I didn't want to upset him by using obscene language and ruder versions of the same word.
[Took some bits out here. - Fraser]
And if Brian(Synyster) and Matt(Shadows) choose these names, it's because these names obviously mean something to them, and I don't think they care that you say they are ridiculous.
[And here. - Fraser]
Enjoy your New Year HAZEL FRASER RACHEL KERRI and everyone else.
[Backatcha, Team Sevenfold! Happy New Year! - Fraser]
Oops BTW guys the person 'Rachel' that posted a comment was actually me :) I've been posting loads of comments on my mates piczo under my real name recently so it's gotten to be a bit of a habit lol and good on 'ya Hazel R and Fraser for your recent comments :) I think you told 'Team Sevenfold' anyway...how is everyone today? BOXING DAY WOOP WOOP!
Crikey, I can't believe I missed all this, too busy stuffing my face with Quality Street over Christmas.
As a member of the CBST (ChartBlog Street Team) I feel I have not done my bit and defended the Blog.
Also as an Avenged 7x fan (new album is insanly good!) I feel I have a neutral outlook on this.
Team Sevenfold: I think you are being ridiculously immature and really not doing the rest of us AS fans any favours.
Bringing someone's sexuality into an argument is just pathetic, what's that got to do with a music review?
So the reviewer thinks they have silly names, big deal. I'm sure alot of people thought Axl Rose & Slash had silly names, but look how well they've done. So, don't take it to heart. Alot of people (me included) think there names are cool.
And also, leave Kerri alone. She's just doing what I should have done as a member of the CBST and sticking up for Fraser and Hazel.
They are just opinions and if you cannot respect them, then no one is gonna respect yours.
Tell you what: I'm going to the Brixton gig, so if you happen to be aswell meet me at the bar, I'll buy you a drink and we can have a heart to heart.
I did got to the Birxton gig, but I didn't meet you.
Woah Fraser, some peeps r really nasty on this blog. Not that there is ever a reason for being horrible espec posting vile comments. Seriously though, this is a music blog, where people come to read ur (and the rest of the lovely chartblog teams) opinions and reviews of songs, not life changing stuff (or at least not enough to warrant such outbursts). Some people r v strange tho. To counteract the nastiness, much love to the chartblog team and Happy (belated) Easterx
[Aw, thank you Lucy! Happy Christmas too! - Fraser and Team ChartBlog]