everyonelistens

So here we stand. It's August 21st, and at midnight this morning, Cartel's eponymous "dropped."

This record has been one of the most talked-about releases in recent years. It all started way back in the spring when Cartel announced that they had been approached by MTV, who asked them to record their sophomore record in a bubble with over 40 cameras documenting their every move. The instant that they accepted this offer, the internet floodgates opened wide. Sure, there had always been people who didn't like Cartel, but it wasn't them who were ridiculing them for their decision. (Well, they were, but they weren't alone.) It was their fans. It was the people who had loved Cartel. It was the people who had seen them live four times and who had bought Chroma when it came out way back in 2005. It was the people who had defended the band to the haters for all that time. They were the ones who instantly turned on the band.

The internet message boards were aglow with Cartel-hating. Cries of "sellouts" and "puppets" were heard incessantly. How dare a band they love so much go and sell their soul to the scene-devil, MTV? How could they live with themselves after being inside that bubble that was adorned with the corporate logos of KFC, Dr. Pepper, and the evil-incarnate itself, Wal-Mart? They had betrayed their fans and become another MTV band. They were Good Charlotte. They were Fall Out Boy. They weren't the loveable quintet from Georgia anymore. They had done something unforgivable. They were dead to them.

And this was all without having even heard the entire record.

Now the record is out in all of it's Bubble-infused goodness. Is it Chroma? No. And it shouldn't be. Chroma is two years old. Most of the songs are older than that. Songwriters progress. Bands change their sound. They grow and mature and become better at their craft. They take more creative risks. And yes, sometimes that alienates fans. But is it worth it to alienate a few fans who can't deal with change rather than become stagnant and keep putting out the same record? In my opinion, yes. It's the bands that evolve that survive.

When Weezer put out Pinkerton, it was shunned by the Weezer faithful. Everyone was looking for a new blue record. They wanted to hear the new "Buddy Holly" and the new "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here." They wanted the slick, Rick Ocasek production. They wanted the poppy nerd-rock. And Weezer failed to deliver. Instead, they got Pinkerton. Instead of the radio-friendly sound they were used to, listeners got a raw and organic band-produced concept record. The got songs like "Tired Of Sex," "El Scorcho," and "Across The Sea." Critics hated it. Fans hated it. It was a bomb. Weezer went into hiatus shortly afterward, and the entire world, including myself, thought they would never hear from Weezer again. Fast forward eleven years, and most consider Pinkerton to be Rivers Cuomo's masterpiece. It took years for the icy reception to melt away, but when it did, fans discovered what a gem that record really was.

Now, I am by no means comparing Pinkerton to the new Cartel record. Pinkerton is what it is, an absolute masterpiece. What I am saying is that fan reception is lukewarm at best right now. The way that it was made has become more of a topic than the actual songs themselves. And isn't that what a record is? It's songs. It's music. It's lyrics. Whether it was made in a bubble or in someone's basement, it's the new Cartel record. And it's definitely solid. It's a bit more "southern." It's a little dirtier and grittier than Chroma was. It's just the natural progression of Will Pugh's songwriting. Do I think it's perfect? No. Is it solid? Absolutely.

So put everything else out of your mind. Don't think about The Bubble. Don't think about Dr. Pepper or a 10-piece Colonel's Fun Pack . Don't think about TRL or MTV or anything else. Buy the record and listen to it for what it is - the second record that a bunch of talented dudes from Atlanta just put out.