Todd Rundgren – Arena (2008)

This 2008 album from Todd Rundgren was a chance purchase in a local charity shop. I was a fan of Rundgren's work in the 1970s, but probably haven't listened to anything he'd done in the thirty years preceding this release. So it's with a little apprehension that I visit what he's churned out this century. Certainly, looking at his discography, there are about half a dozen records (either solo or as Utopia) from the 1970s I should be looking out for.

Given Rundgren's penchant for experimentation and ignoring the zeitgeist, this feels surprisingly orthodox rock. As ever, Rundgren does everything on the album, and the dense production is trademark. It's also surprisingly listenable to start. Mad opens up with a solid rocker, followed by a couple of metal-tinged plodders Afraid and Mercenary. Gun feels a little more rock'n'roll, while Courage is a pop song which sounds straight from 1976. Weakness is slower, overblown and not the most exciting song, Strike sounds like early '80s soft metal, but, despite the charming name, Piss makes far more of an impression, with a nice guitar riff and a catchy theme. A little bit of electronica to start Today puts me in mind of the Utopia days, but it's got a 1980s soft rock feel, in a bland sort of way. And Bardo continues the blandness at a much slower tempo. Lots of angst, but nothing that really appeals. Similarly, Mountaintop is soft metal bombast, Panic feels as if it's going to offer more in a post-punk sort of way, but fades, and the album closes with Manup, a nondescript rocker.

While most of this album isn't actively bad, most of it feels very derivative, and devoid of the risk-taking you'd associate with a Rundgren album. I don't think I'll return to this too frequently.

Link to album tracks

2* - I wanted to like this, but too much sounded dated, hackneyed and low effort.