Cartel

Spending 20 days enclosed in a man-made bubble, under the gun to produce a full-length album as a national audience watches on, takes ... something. Whatever that thing is, Cartel has it, for here is that album. Curiously, the record sounds a whole lot like the ones punk-pop bands make outside of bubbles -- it's got meaty guitars, wailing vocals and choruses so big Superman couldn't lift them. The single "Lose It" shimmers like California sun on the Pacific Ocean, and if you think the horns on "Wasted" are a nice touch, check out what Wyclef does with them on his remix.