It was the summer of 2007, and Cartel were on top of the world. Their stardom had been on the rise since the release of their debut album, “Chroma,” in 2005, and they were finally being noticed on a national scale.
Any non-believers were given proof of that when Cartel landed what seemed like a great publicity opportunity with MTV: 20 televised days of living in a giant transparent bubble in New York, culminating in a live concert where they would perform the CD they had recorded while inside the bubble.
Just months later, it looked as though Cartel were finished. The bubble experiment ended terribly with a rushed album that lacked any of lead singer Will Pugh’s signature flair, which resulted in less-than-desirable record sales. In other words, their great publicity stunt was a big, fat flop.
This was noticed not only by the general public, but also by Epic Records, which wasted no time in dropping the band from their label.
Now Cartel are trying to do what few bands have done successfully — make a comeback without having ever really “made it.” Luckily, having spent more than a year recording their third album, “Cycles,” they may have a shot at achieving the improbable.
The band hopes to reclaim its old fans as well as accrue new support with an album that has enough commercial appeal to not fail as badly as the last album.
As if a repentant for the rushed bubble recording, “Cycles” offers the clean sound of a band’s third album, with every song closely scrutinized and edited. Unfortunately, this creates a catchy but over-produced CD that lacks the grit and passion that made “Chroma” such a big hit in the alternative rock scene.
On the 11 tracks, Will Pugh’s vocal skill often goes unnoticed, covered up by the layered noise of several guitars and other instruments. It’s a shame, really, as the lead singer’s talent is one of the few factors that sets Cartel apart from other bands of the same genre. To hear that magic again, you’ll have to see them live.
Cartel follow in the footsteps of other bands like them, such as Fall Out Boy and Boys Like Girls, whose overproduced follow-up albums to their big hits disappointed die-hard fans but accrued enough listeners to make up for it. In fact, “Typically” and “Faster Ride” from Cartel’s latest release have a sound similar to that of Boy Like Girls’ self-titled album.
The first single off of the new album, “Let’s Go,” has summer anthem written all over it, with lyrics like “Let’s go/Take the world with me.” Unfortunately for the band, the song hasn’t gotten much radio play since its release in late July of this year. But never fear, true Cartel fans — the band haven’t lost themselves entirely. Its second single, “The Perfect Mistake,” has more of that “Chroma” sound, and the ballad “Only You” will give listeners the same chills as the end of their first album.
So is this destined to be the comeback of the year, or just a band that won’t quit? Only time will tell, but you can decide for yourself by picking up “Cycles.”
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
