Michael Cullen: ‘Love Transmitter’ Review: Moody Rock

Heavy on the heartbreak, self-reflection and extra noir, Michael Cullen’s new album, “Love Transmitter” is the type of album best played in a Greenwich Village dive bar or on the Walkman of the goth chick from “The Breakfast Club.”

Like Ally Sheedy herself, it’s either hit or miss. Even though a few songs showcase the lyrical ability and vocal talent Cullen has, most if the time he sounds like a venting 20-something, as repetitive tracks and his sometimes over the top voice are too cumbersome for your ears to carry.

Even considering the often mellow retrospectives most of the tracks are, Cullen’s storytelling prowess isn’t as consistent as it should be.

The sound, for the most part, is the type fans of bands the likes of Toad the Wet Sprocket and Crowded House will dig. There’s even a hint of The Bravery in his sound. Solid guitar work sets the scene and nearly every track features smooth drum work, courtesy of legend TIm Powles. Even the lyrics are smooth- “Tidal Waves,” at times sounds like poetry with the mention of showers and African flowers.

But where those aforementioned bands had one of a kind frontmen, Cullen’s voice, although it grows on you and has a deep resonance, isn’t as catchy as it needs to be. His range is at times is impressive, but he never feels like he’s exerting himself. In “All Used Up,” Cullen isn’t able to connect with the lyrics and as a result it sounds like he’s simply toying around. In “Hey Sister,” Cullen does what he does for a good portion of the album, this half cool speak, half singing, that ultimately grows tiresome.

On the album’s title track however, Cullen sings, like holding notes, real singing- and puts his hand inside his chest and pulls something out. Between the solid riff and Cullen’s lyrics, this is more along the lines of what this guy is capable of.

There’s nothing wrong with moody tunes, especially when they’re emotional enough for the listener to feel every thorn in the singer’s heart. Cullen is only able to succeed at this endeavor once or twice on the album, but when he does, the payoff is worth it. The rest of the time, it just feels like he’s trying to be cool.

In the end, Cullen doesn’t have to try. He just needs a producer that can help him harness what’s already there.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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