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CODY CARPENTER discography

CODY CARPENTER top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.50 | 2 ratings Interdependence 2018	3.92 | 13 ratings Force of Nature 2019	3.50 | 4 ratings Control 2020	5.00 | 1 ratings Piano Improvisations: The Major Arcana 2020	4.09 | 3 ratings Memories and Dreams 2021
4.67 | 3 ratings Balance of Extremes 2022	4.00 | 2 ratings The Adventure of Ludrium 2022

CODY CARPENTER Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

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CODY CARPENTER Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings Neon Sludge 2014-2018 2018

4.00 | 1 ratings Mind over Matter 2014-2018 Vol. 1 2018

4.00 | 1 ratings Mind over Matter 2014-2018 Vol. 2 2018

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CODY CARPENTER Reviews

Studio Album, 2021
4.09 | 3 ratings
BUY

Memories and Dreams
Cody Carpenter Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by Mirakaze
Special Collaborator Eclectic, JRF/Canterbury, Avant/Zeuhl

A lovely quirky album, this is: energetic, optimistic and colourful jazz fusion with an emphasis on old-school synthesizers. Keyboard player Cody Carpenter is the son of famous director John Carpenter, and while the music on this album doesn't really bear a lot of resemblance to his old man's film scores, there certainly is a heavy element of nostalgia for the 80s and 90s to be heard here. For one, a lot of tracks show influence from video game scores from those decades, specifically from Japanese composers such as Jun Senoue and Yasunori Mitsuda. Just listen to the lively adrenaline-pumping opener "Attract Mode", and tell me you can't imagine hearing something like this in Sonic The Hedgehog or Mario Kart; could the moody, melancholic "Kindness Of The Goddess" not serve as the perfect background score for a peaceful moment of reflection in a 16-bit medieval RPG? How about using "Oppression" as the final boss battle in the next Contra game, Konami?

Sadly, the other main influence on this album is one I'm not all that crazy about, namely Van Halen-esque arena rock; it's not overtly present but it still rears its ugly head here and there. Some tracks such as "Daybreak" kind of overdo the cheesy bombastic 80s rock stylizations and end up slightly annoying, but on most tracks Carpenter manages to insert enough cool chord progressions and syncopated rhythms to distract from that, and pretty much every song on here sports a catchy riff that's sure to draw your attention. I will say that Carpenter doesn't seem very skilled at ending his compositions, as most tracks just sort of stop abruptly, but this is but a minor complaint. I find this album a very enjoyable experience in spite of its flaws.

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Posted Monday, December 13, 2021 | Review this album | Report (Review #2652034)