Music Review: Todd Rundgren, State
Published on April 8th, 2013 in: Music, Music Reviews, Reviews |
Todd Rundgren has been making music since before most of us were born. His first solo album came out in 1969. He was huge during the early Seventies, riding the wave of his radio hit “Hello, It’s Me.” He resurged during the early Eighties as not only a musician, but as a video software pioneer. The video for “Time Heals” was everywhere back then. He resurged again in the Nineties, re-inventing himself as the first interactive musician, inviting folks to remix his tracks and play his music with him in his interactive music pod at PepsiStock ’94.
Then he started recording Samba versions of his old songs. This seemed to be a lateral move.
You can’t say Rundgren isn’t afraid to take chances. There’s nothing he hasn’t done. From his entirely a capella album to his fascination with Gilbert and Sullivan, Rundgren has been a fearless explorer of musical styles. He has made an attempt to introduce his audience to whatever is currently floating through his musical transom.
That past bravery is what makes his new album, State, such a disappointment. Rundgren, the multi-instrumentalist, gave us fair warning back in 1975 that he was “Born to Synthesize.” However, when he uses his keyboards and synthesizers simply as something to fall back on, the result is less than stellar.
Many one-man-bands fall into ruts quickly. They hit the same well repeatedly and bring nothing new to bear. When Rundgren surrounds himself with nothing more than computers and keyboards and hits the “record” button, everything starts to sound the same. He starts State off with a long song (the eight-minute long arpeggio opus, “Imagination”) and spends the rest of the album trying to make us believe he is still relevant.
Song titles such as “Ping Me” and “Angry Bird” tip the hat to modern societal trends and the “state” of the world as it currently exists, but the keyboard claustrophobia places State in the same niche as anything by Howard Jones or Re-Flex. It’s terribly dated, even though it’s brand new, and not in an adorable Mumford & Sons sort of way.
Rundgren sneaks a guitar into the studio for one track, “Serious,” which is the stand-out on State. It instantly hits a great funky groove, melding Berlin-type Casiotone sweetness with Rundgren’s signature white-boy Philly blues. The rest of the album doesn’t fare as well. Rundgren’s socially relevant lyrics quickly become heavy-handed and cloying, while pre-programmed synthesizer tracks wail repetitively in the background like seagulls screaming for French fries.
It’s frustrating as a long-time Todd fan. We old-timers listen to Todd because we don’t expect retreads. We expect him to take music where it isn’t supposed to go. We look for weird chord changes and small dashes of humor and spirituality. Unfortunately, State may stand as his tribute to Ace of Base. It’s overly heavy on the keyboards and the lyrics are almost as deep as anything Gavin Rossdale ever wrote. Is it good music you hate? Is it music hate you good?
All told, State seems like a toss-off from a musician who sweats better music than most of us will ever make. I’m not sure what I expected from Rundgren this time out, but it was something . . . anything besides what I got. State feels like an album without a reason, sure to leave its audience without a clue.
State was released today from Esoteric Recordings via Cherry Red Records and can be ordered directly from the label’s website.
10 Responses to “Music Review: Todd Rundgren, State”
April 8th, 2013 at 10:46 am
Can’t disagree with a lot of that although there are a few moments of redemption on the album. In addition to ‘Serious’ ‘Something From Nothing’ and ‘Sir Reality’ are decent tracks but as you say, so far it’s been disappointing. I’m hoping that repeated listening will reward.
April 8th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
Wow! Interesting POV and well written…Balls, dude!
April 9th, 2013 at 1:50 am
Ouch! It’s much better than this review would have you believe, but then Serious is my least favorite track, so it would seem that the reviewer’s tastes are definitely in contrast to my own.
April 9th, 2013 at 8:56 am
As a long time fan, I was not disappointed. What I’ve always enjoyed most about Todd’s music is that it’s different every time. The opening song, ‘Imagination’, actually takes my breath away. With ‘Serious’, the shivers and tingles up and down my spine are so noticeable that I feel alive as if I’ve been in a trance. Ping me resonates deep within my soul and gives me peace and hope.
For me this cd is an amazing piece of work. I find his lyrical style intriguing as always. And my cd player will most likely crap out on me, because I’m playing it over and over.
April 9th, 2013 at 9:20 am
I didn’t like it at first either, but after a few listenings I started to hear a lot of different and familiar things, which is what I love about a new Todd album. I think State is much better than what the reviewer would have you believe. But I did have a similar experience to his after listening the first time through. I don’t think he gave it a second chance. I love his line, “Rundgren’s socially relevant lyrics quickly become heavy-handed and cloying, while pre-programmed synthesizer tracks wail repetitively in the background like seagulls screaming for French fries.”
April 9th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
Hmm… you stated: “We old-timers listen to Todd because we don’t expect retreads. We expect him to take music where it isn’t supposed to go. We look for weird chord changes and small dashes of humor and spirituality.” Well, speaking as an “old timer” I feel STATE accomplishes exactly that. This time he is taking his music (and me) through a musical kaleidoscope filled with metal, synch, funk, guitar, quirks, melody, soul, humor and electronica.
And, I will admit this is not a place I typically would seek out on my own. I had this on in the car, and my 16 year old said “Todd’s going dubstep”, and my 13 year old said “He’s been listening to Skillrex” I’m like what? who?… True Story…..
I think ‘STATE’ is current and new. And he is taking his music in a new horizon, which may be uncomfortable and unwelcomed to some of the fuddy duds.
Standout tracks for me are: ‘Serious’ which is as funky as it gets. I crank ‘Smoke’ real loud, and it blows my face off. ‘Something for Nothing provides peace and calm. ‘Imagination’ is classic Todd, highlighting his wonderful guitar work.
And speaking of guitar, you felt as if he “sneaks a guitar into the studio for one track”. TR was quoted saying (when explaining ‘Ping Me’ “It’s a real guitar on this track; in fact, wherever you hear a guitar on the album, it’s the real thing.” It doesn’t sound “sneaked” in to me.
On STATE however, I think the real instrument is his strong signature vocals, which only seem to be getting better and better. I find they are never muted from the mix.
I enjoy the CD. Sometimes it is fun to not reason, and dance. And I can’t wait to see this tour LIVE. I think it will killar, and fun. I can just hear it now: “CLEAR”
April 9th, 2013 at 9:01 pm
STATE is just another bite of the greater meal that Todd offers us humans. Enjoy… Inhale… Exist
April 10th, 2013 at 2:53 am
State is so clean it seems like it was processed out of an android doing the robot in a 1980’s Styx video. I like Angry Bird and Imagination is a very pleasurable extension of Lowest Common Denominator. If he really cares about his support from his label he will unleash a live power pop master piece recorded far from his computer and any androids left over from early Billy Idol or Heart videos. I can smell hair spray when I listen to Ping Me. It is sort of nauseating experience that grows on you even though you don’t want it to and has a part that I have experienced from some other artist in the 80s. When I find that artist, I will kill them.
April 10th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
can’t say i agree with this review. however, i also can’t say that STATE is much higher than (***) out of (5). STATE feels like TR’s making a musical inside joke with his longtime fans…like he c o u l d make a song that could be a bona fide radio hit, but he’d rather flirt with the genre and ultimately come up short, making it only of interest to his most loyal fans (of which, i consider myself one). to me, i find STATE to be a 2-sided LP, with side 1 channeling some modern musical influences with primarily so-so results. notable exception would be In My Mouth, which, while it won’t get my teenagers grooving, it is a well-done modern ballad. i consider the beginning of “side 2” of STATE to be the song Smoke, a song that harkens back to LIARS a little in a good way. happily, i would deem that tune the turning point of STATE. after that, comes Collide-A-Scope, which is an excellent example of TR proving he can make relevant contemporary music (even if no one hears it). the final 3 tracks continue the upward trajectory of STATE, in my opinion. Something From Nothing is a tasty musical sequel to God Said (another LIARS gem), Sir Reality is a solid closer that offers listeners (never mind society at large) some food for thought. and sandwiched between those 2 songs is Party Liquor, which, to me, is the ultimate example of TR making a song in a genre as a private joke to his audience when he could’ve made a potentially release-able song that just might — just might — get some traction on the radio…god forbid. in sum, it’s no LIARS, but TR does succeed at being musically adventurous…which is what seems to float his boat more than anything. FINAL POINT: the 2-cd edition of STATE with the Metropole Orchestra Show from November 2012 is the best way to purchase STATE.
May 21st, 2013 at 9:56 am
Saw State live lastnight. 5/20/13. Went to a Todd show and ended up at a rave. I have been a Todd fan since the Nazz days.And yes I love the way his mind works, this show was so loud and brittle it HURT. By far the worst $50.00 I have ever spent. As far as the album it is really taking time to grow on me. Todd is much better than pro-tools album. His lyrics are blow-away. But I feel he could have put more effort in the music. tracks suck.
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