Spring comes late to my current home in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It's nearly the middle of April, and still piled up in the shadows behind the garage and lurking underneath the pine trees are ever-shrinking piles of dark and gritty snow. A ray of sunshine and the lengthening day gives one a bit of hope that spring will arrive, and the slowly dissolving snow lets me know that spring is coming—and with it, a sense of newness and rebirth. And among my essential rites of spring, comes a special solstice-inspired trip to the music store to see what has arrived and how I will be musically leaving the cold and snow of winter. Spring arrived a little early this year in the form of a CD from Iowa City's Martin Carpenter via his debut Sheepish, on the Paisley Pop label. It was a sort of musical homecoming for me as I listened to his engaging pop melodies and sturdy rock arrangement supporting the ten songs on Sheepish. As an Iowa native, I spent years attending shows around the state and picking up excellent and little-heard records (yes, those vinyl things) by bands such as the Dangtrippers, the Shy, the Hollowmen, and (here's an obscure one) Claude Pate. As did his musical forebears, what Carpenter has captured and brilliantly executed on his debut is the crystalline essence of Midwestern power pop. And as a long-standing devote of Midwestern power pop, one can find few better demonstrations of one's musical talent. The opening track "Teethmarks" starts off with a variation of the riff that Shoes used to open their classic song "Tomorrow Night," albeit with a harder and more insistent edge. Very much as the title of the song suggests, it leaves a musical toothmark, so to speak, in one's psyche. As the song surges forward, brittle yet pretty guitar arpeggios echo the melody and drive the song ahead with wiry urgency. Not to play a guess the influence game, but the insistent drumbeat/rhythm that supports the second track, "I Am Low" shares the same sort of taut urgency as does Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom." This is not to suggest that the songs are the same, only that they share the same primordial rhythm, with Carpenter moving well beyond the amusing childhood family in "Stacy" and instead offering a deeper meditation on the essential nature and dimensions of a man's relationship with a woman. "Red Carnation's" distorted but restrained guitar figure lends a paranoid feel to this number, doubling disturbing images created through the lyrics of the "defective and crippled" along with a nasty, but appropriate little dig at making the pompous meek. Carpenter accomplishes that most difficult of balancing acts—that of honoring his musical influences, yet not allowing them to overwhelm his own musical personality. File this one under intelligent, well-crafted pop rock. If you like Tommy Keene, the Replacements, or Wilco, you will find much to admire and enjoy in Martin Carpenter's Sheepish. If anything, at ten songs it is too short, leaving me hungry for more, and looking forward to his next release. I hope thatI won't have to wait until next spring for it. - Ken King (freelance writer, formerly of Junkmedia.org)

First off, this is one helluva debut. Second, this is NOT Michael Carpenter, but *Martin* Carpenter, an easy mistake in this neighborhood seeing that we have released numerous releases from Michael. Third, this one is classic pop, folks! Martin Carpenter has arrived out of the blue and we are thankful for that, let me tell you that. Evidently, Martin Carpenter has been honing his brutally honest pop-rock sound since he played in his first garage band in the seventh grade. Small-town Northwest Missouri provided most of the life lessons that shape Carpenter`s music today. On "Sheepish", Carpenter mines new territory and has produced a lush work that harkens to the shimmering jangle of artists such as The Pernice Brothers, The Church, Weezer/The Rentals, The Shins and Australian bands like The Bats with a dash of Psychedelic Furs and the Cars. Spanning a wide stylistic spectrum, from lackadaisical laments to sweeping, enticing rushes of pure pop satisfaction. There`s certainly nothing lacking in the spare, well-crafted songwriting or Carpenter`s frequently beauteous (and ever-breaking) shaggy-dog voice which brings to mind a blend of Leonard Cohen and Lloyd Cole.

Harkening back to a simpler time (the 80’s) the until-now unknown, Martin Carpenter, must have an awful good record collection. One that, I’m guessing, includes bands like Galaxie 500, Rain Parade, and a handful of other special bands that made that decade worth living (and more recent bands like The Pernice Bros.). Here he offers up a batch of 10 instantly likeable tunes like the poppy opener “Teethmarks” and the super-catchy “Wrong Audience.” “Something Sweet” is a bit more rockin’ and a great song for driving down the highway (preferably with windows down on a sunny day- hey, you got a convertible? Even better!) while “Stung” was pensive and pretty. A fine debut that hints at even better things in the future for Mr. Carpenter. (www.paisleypop.com )