Marc Carroll used to front power pop outfit Puppy Love Bomb, an early ’90s band that featured former Thrills and current And So I Watch You From Afar manager Alan Cullivan on bass. They gained more than a little local notoriety for their provocative ‘Dublin Is Dead’ t-shirts.
Despite two singles on Rough Trade, Puppy Love Bomb made little impact. Carroll forged ahead with another band called The Hormones, and subsequently a
solo career.
Here he’s almost unrecognisable from the noisenik of nearly 20 years ago. With his latest release he fulfills the dream of a lifetime. The album was recorded in America with Bob Dylan’s sidekick and Levon Helm band leader Larry Campbell, plus members of Brian Wilson’s band, My Morning Jacket and Midlake.
Stone Beads & Silver is an hugely pleasing odyssey into Americana. Carroll’s voice seamlessly fits this new set up and sound.
Luckily he’s not putting on a faux American accent. Indeed if you check out Puppy Love Bomb’s ‘Not Listening’, he had a Dylanesque timbre to his voice way back then.
Marc Carroll has been scuttling around the limelight rather than basking in it. His latest richly deserves wider attention.