{"id":10962,"date":"2016-06-15T05:30:37","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T09:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=10962"},"modified":"2016-06-15T09:13:41","modified_gmt":"2016-06-15T13:13:41","slug":"hundred-word-reviews-for-june-2016-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/06\/15\/hundred-word-reviews-for-june-2016-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundred-word Reviews for June 2016, Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Still more of these quickie reviews. Today&#8217;s theme is melodic rock (some call it powerpop; you decide).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10966\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/michael_carpenter.jpg\" alt=\"michael_carpenter\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: left; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B01D7E9EI4&amp;asins=B01D7E9EI4&amp;linkId=83d43fcfeb4844d87ec7e767751ea4eb&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Michael Carpenter \u2013 <i>The Big Radio<\/i><\/b><br \/>\nThe liner notes for this set will disappoint: it may well be Carpenter&#8217;s last album; to paraphrase, he seems to feel that his head will feel better when he stops banging it against the metaphorical wall. But the quality of this unapologetically powerpop-styled collection will lead listeners to hope he reconsiders. <i>The Big Radio<\/i> is largely a one-man-band affair; it&#8217;s also one which will assuredly appeal to fans of <b>Jordan Oakes<\/b>&#8216; <i>Yellow Pills<\/i> compilations. Strong start to finish, it&#8217;s filled with powerpop gems. <i>The Big Radio<\/i> rocks when it should (which is often), always placing high emphasis on hooky songcraft.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10967\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/andy_reed.jpg\" alt=\"andy_reed\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/andy_reed.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/andy_reed-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: left; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B019UI3VWG&amp;asins=B019UI3VWG&amp;linkId=ba72dece8e86940d345284455ad0a827&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Andy Reed \u2013 <i>Relay Vol. 1<\/i><\/b><br \/>\nSweet-voiced Reed is a powerpop artist who tends toward baroque-flavored tunes (think more <b>Left Banke<\/b> than <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/05\/23\/album-mini-review-cheap-trick-bang-zoom-crazy-hello\/\"><b>Cheap Trick<\/b><\/a>). This five-track EP serves up more of his chiming, gently swaying tunes; \u201cDreaming of the East Coast\u201d has a feel not unlike <b>Fountains of Wayne<\/b>&#8216;s transcendent \u201cThe Senator&#8217;s Daughter,\u201d and the other tunes are swell as well. \u201cI Love a Long Goodbye\u201d sounds familiar in the best possible way. For those who want more Andy Reed, there&#8217;s a sort-of companion disc called <i>Oddities and Entities<\/i>, drawing from his unreleased archive of solo work and tunes from his excellent <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2012\/01\/09\/album-review-an-american-underdog-always-on-the-run\/\">An American Underdog<\/a> <\/b>project.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10968\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/b_leaguers.jpg\" alt=\"b_leaguers\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/b_leaguers.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/b_leaguers-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: left; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B01CD4BPD6&amp;asins=B01CD4BPD6&amp;linkId=477d58fa1247ba0dc4685bf6c71b0711&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>B-Leaguers \u2013 <i>Death of a Western Heart<\/i><\/b><br \/>\nWhen one sees the Kool Kat Musik label on a CD, it&#8217;s a good bet hat you&#8217;ll find powerpop on the dic. But this seven-songs album is a bit of a surprise: it&#8217;s more a kind of knowing pop-punk, with a much harder edge than is typical of powerpop. The group has the big, big guitar vibe of <b>Cheap Trick<\/b>, but the songs are channeled through a sensibility that owes as much to <b>Green Day<\/b> as anything else. Catchy songs delivered in pummeling arrangements may lead listeners to think of <b>Bob Mould<\/b>&#8216;s <b>Sugar<\/b>. Look elsewhere for soft sounds and\/or subtlety.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10969\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/edward_rogers.jpg\" alt=\"edward_rogers\" width=\"300\" height=\"273\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: left; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B01B696NY0&amp;asins=B01B696NY0&amp;linkId=a91e7b5ed2cd7f4cf669bc1db53152d2&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Edward Rogers \u2013 <i>Glass Marbles<\/i><\/b><br \/>\nNew York-based (but British-born) Edward Rogers doesn&#8217;t play instruments on his album, for reasons you can sort out on your own if so inclined. But even if he could, he&#8217;d have done well to assemble the musical cast for this set, one that includes <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2009\/09\/29\/album-review-the-smithereens-play-tommy\/\"><b>Smithereens<\/b> <\/a>drummer <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2009\/11\/09\/interview-dennis-diken-ear-candy-that-matters\/\"><b>Dennis Diken<\/b><\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2013\/11\/20\/richard-barone-on-the-bongos-phantom-train-part-one\/\"><b>The Bongos<\/b><\/a>&#8216; <b>James Mastro<\/b>. Rogers is a superb songwriter and arranger, and has a voice that recalls <b>Ian Hunter<\/b>. Come to think of it, these tune sound a bit like prime-era <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2011\/10\/04\/dvd-review-the-ballad-of-mott-the-hoople\/\">Mott the Hoople<\/a><\/b>, too. <i>Glass Marbles<\/i> is filled with timeless rock-pop of the highest order. Find it and buy it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/arvidson2.jpg\" alt=\"arvidson2\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11019\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/arvidson2.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/arvidson2-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: left; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B01FUX4WGE&amp;asins=B01FUX4WGE&amp;linkId=676ffe31e8b82bc481db6766e0bd0f74&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Arvidson &amp; Butterflies \u2013 <i>Arvidson &amp; Butterflies<\/i><\/b><br \/>\nThis is one of those rare CDs in which I fell in love with the music after previewing no more than twenty seconds of the opening track, \u201cTired of running.\u201d Soaring vocal harmonies, shimmering electric twelve-string, and an infectious melody all make their presence known right out of the gate. I literally yelled \u201cYes!\u201d within seconds. The musical touchstones are too many to name: <b>The Searchers<\/b>, <i>A Hard Day&#8217;s Night<\/i>-era <b>Beatles<\/b>, <b>The Records<\/b>, <b>Bill Lloyd<\/b>&#8230;this is decidedly upbeat stuff with just the right tinge of melancholy. The group is from Gothenburg, Sweden, and the music they make is consistently delightful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Still more of these quickie reviews. Today&#8217;s theme is melodic rock (some call it powerpop; you decide). Michael Carpenter \u2013 The Big Radio The liner notes for this set will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10969,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,55,62,65],"tags":[199,2729,2731,2730,1259,2732],"class_list":["post-10962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-release","category-powerpop","category-rawk","category-review","tag-andy-reed","tag-arvidson-butterflues","tag-b-leaguers","tag-edward-rogers","tag-kool-kat-musik","tag-michael-carpenter","cat-49-id","cat-55-id","cat-62-id","cat-65-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10962"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11020,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10962\/revisions\/11020"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}