Saturday, April 5, 2014

Michael Cullen Love Transmitter CD Review

Do You Believe? Is the first track on Love Transmitter, and it provides listeners with a solid introduction to the styles and approaches that will be presented on the remainder of the album. Taken separately, the track is something that could easily be on rotation at alternative and modern rock stations.


cullentrans


All Used Up is a track that touches upon the work of Franz Ferdinand and an earlier new-wave tradition (The Psychedelic Furs, XTC); the hooky arrangements will ensure that listeners will have the track firmly implanted into their mind by the time that the disc ceases. Chinese Hammer has a more deliberate feel to it; the comparison of human and fantastical here allows Cullen to put a decidedly new spin on the desert rock (e.g. The Doors) genre. While tapping out at the two and a half-minute mark, the pacing that Cullen utilizes here provides the track with an authoritas that belies its place in the middle of the pack. Professional Entertainers is a ray of bright light on Love Transmitter; the faster tempo and slight bit of fuzz will appease listeners of all stripes.


One is Still My Number is a more straight-forward rock track in the vein of Cheap Trick or Foghat; there is little more here than vocals, drums, and guitar but Cullen is able to make the track into something epic. Make sure to visit Cullen’s Bandcamp (  michaelpcullen.bandcamp.com/album/love-transmitter ) for the ability to listen to and even purchase the album. Love Transmitter is a rare example of an album that is as strong at its ending registers (One is Still My Number, Closer) as it did from its onset.


Top Tracks: Do You Believe?, All Used Up, One is Still My Number


Rating: 8.0/10


Michael Cullen Love Transmitter CD Review / 2013 Self / 10 Tracks / www.michaelcullen.info/ / www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Cullen/158771380856604