TODD

This is where Todd Rundgren clicks for me - briefly, before losing me completely. On this double album he takes the power pop ballad style of Something/Anything and the rampant experimentalism of A Wizard. A True Star and attempts to reach a balance point between the two. In the end, I suspect Todd's instincts lie more in the progressive direction than pop, with the end result being just as expansive a stylistic smorgasboard as the preceding album - but this time around, all the different musical ideas are given just enough room to breathe whilst still being kept disciplined enough to prevent them outstaying their welcome individually. As an album, though, it's a slog, with Todd's continued displaying of his studio tricks descending into flashy technical showing-off.