Fingerprints Music

Reviews:

They more or less hail from the Beltway, but "Little Things" and "The Anthem" made it abundantly clear that Good Charlotte were more about the mack than the MacKaye. Their brand of "gangsta punk" ushered in the era of Hot Topic rock circa '99, as twins Joel and Benji Madden's self-aware playfulness belied both played-out couture (Dracu-emo, anybody?) and a stagnant pop-punk oeuvre. Luckily, things have changed on LP number four: The boys are (and have dated) celebrities, and act accordingly. The first track to leak, the churning, bass-driven "Keep Ya Hands Off My Girl" puts Jay-Z's product placing to shame, calling out Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and other hella punk, independent, PETA-friendly outlets. Official first single "The River," a no-duh collaboration with M. Shadows and Synyster Gates of glam-metalcore stars Avenged Sevenfold, is also surprisingly four-on-the-floor, not to mention kinda (gulp') tasteful. Gotta say, we're into this new aloof approach. Especially if it means more pea coats and less lip piercings.