Cycles

Released two years after Cartel's Band in a Bubble reality show, Cycles finds the group taking another stab at anthemic pop/rock, replete with triple-layered guitars and carpe diem lyrics. "Let me introduce myself" goes the very first line, a sly reference to the band's own critique of the Band in a Bubble experiment, and Cycles does a competent job realigning the group with its emo-pop contemporaries. Songs like "Let's Go," "Deep South," "Faster Ride" are the highlights here, evoking a sense of teenaged uplift that affects even the oldest of listeners. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi