Michael Cullen

Aussie singer songwriter Michael Cullen’s ‘Love Transmitter’ has been re-mastered and re-issued to the masses with a revamping of the sound quality but the same deadpan approach and complex material. The album is an intriguing concoction of synth pop, new wave and gothic rock to create the musician’s enthralling trademark style.

Complex lyrics with deeper meaning that elaborate on the difficulties of relationships and making them work. The album can be considered as difficult to completely gauge as the emotion of love itself. Michael Cullen regurgitates his experiences through his soft baritone resonance that sounds melancholic and full of regrets. He sounds like a very famous compatriot actually in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – largely relying on alternative influence from punk rock and even the blues.

The compositions rarely deviate from the spiky, distorted guitars further deviated by feedback and repetitive bass riffs to simplistic drum beats. There isn’t much complicated about the instrumentation so much of the effort has been placed on sound definition and intrepid lyricism. Fans of bands like Joy Division and The Go Betweens will probably get the biggest kick out of this but this style of indie pop is becoming more and more prominent, inventive and relevant in society nowadays.