“I’m merely a man and I bring nothing but love for you. I’m merely a man and I want nothing that you can’t do! And you know it’s true.”
The Thromboes are Larry Levy (Histrioniks) on vocals/guitar, Dave Powers on bass and Bongo LaHair (?) on drums. The group can be defined as a poppy garage punk style. When the album starts out “Let me touch your junk…” you know you’re in for something different. Unfortunately this clever lyrical approach on “Junk” isn’t on more tracks here. Larry makes the next track a funky beat ride, as “She’s Like A British Car,” resembles The Shadows fronted by Frank Zappa and The Mothers. And the fact that Cat Levy also lends her backing vocal talents to this helps make it the best track here. “Closed Doors and Cigarettes” and “I’m on The Underground” have a wall of sound styled guitar production that is a compelling listen. “Man In The Way” resembles the Cynics a bit with the full echoing reverb sound and aggressive beat. This approach is repeated in several tracks like “Shutter” and the appropriately written tune “Don’t Get Into My Head.” It flirts with a 50’s narrative style on “Back To The (Concrete Pond)” which is a lot of fun, like a garage version of The B-52s. And it ends off with a well played instrumental (“Overture To The Sun”). So, if you’re into this style of retro garage rock, it’s a very good entry in the genre.
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In his first solo album of new material since 2004’s “Rolling Ball,” it’s refreshing to hear from Michael again in vintage form. As one of the top power pop talents on the globe, Carpenter here gives a clinic on how to write, perform and record a great album. Starting with the highly catchy “Can’t Go Back,” the song showcases his Beatlesque percussion and strong melody. Written between 2006 and 2008 at his studio in Sydney, Australia, the lyrics reflects the dark mood and somber themes of creative despair, lost love and failure that contrast with the familiar upbeat rhythms. For example on the title track, he intones “Heaven help the fool who falls a victim to desire…” Being a one man band, the guitar work on each track is strummed to perfection. The honky tonk flavor on “Workin’ For A Livin” makes for perfect toe tapping theme to the drudgery of employment. Michael then combines elements of Jellyfish and Queen to create the creative “The King Of The Scene.” After such a stellar first half, we slow down with a ballad (“Don’t Let Me Down Again”) before he boils down his life to the “Middle of Nowhere” where his soul just pours out. This track is the pinnacle of the album and a personal highlight for me. The remaining tracks are almost as strong lyrically as well as melodically. “Falling Down” is an uplifting confessional gem with a clean multitrack vocal chorus. Clearly, this is the strongest Carpenter album since his debut “Baby.” For a limited time, a bonus disc version of the album will be available. Entitled “The Stripped Redemption #39”, it presents the whole album with minimal accompaniment, highlighting the vocal arrangements of the material. If you aren’t that familiar with Carpenter’s work (what rock have you been hiding under?) this is a fine place to start, as well as last year’s compilation “Up Close.”
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The second video to come out from the excellent album Slow And Steady Seduction,Phase II.
Brooklyn’s Skidmore Fountain is a collection of eclectic musicians, Randy Bergida (vocals/guitar), Topu Lyo (cello/vocals), and Steven Cohen (guitar/vocals) who produce alternative pop that has plenty of soundscapes with orchestral touches. If The Flaming Lips and Coldplay teamed up with Jeff Lynne adding a rare flourish, you’d get close to this band’s sound. Opening with a combination of violins and guitars, “Asylum” boasts an impressive array of instrumentation and driving beat to Bergida’s vocal. The highlight early on for me was “Drive By Reflection” where the simple guitar rhythms merge from a Cure-like narrative to a rich orchestral tapestry. The ghostly harmonies, handclaps and guitar breaks of “When The Sun Comes” is a loose series of sketches, rather than a structured song. It’s almost like a pop version of free form jazz. Too often, despite the musicianship, we are missing the hooks here on long winding tracks. Sometimes this doesn’t hurt a song like “Cloudless” or “Whole World” where the melodies and musical textures hold everything together fine. The gorgeous harmonies are upfront on “Sun In The Sky” with a vivid image of beach heat making this my favorite track. Other tracks like “Anyone Around” get too loose, and it almost becomes an extended reggae jam – some listeners will appreciate all the sonic details, but if you’re looking for quick pop songs under three minutes look elsewhere. I have to admit the songs have a soothing quality I don’t find in most pop music.
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