Arena
Todd Rundgren
Released:
Sep 2008
Label:
Cleopatra Records
First off, that album cover is totally disturbing. Then again, it's rather fitting. Arena is the manliest music Rundgren has produced in decades. We're talking Utopia-flavored '70s rock music full of big guitars, bombastic drums and pretentious thoughts. Moreover, he's revived his old method of recording by playing every instrument himself. Yet the record's nostalgia isn't resolute. While tracks such as "Mercenary," "Gun" and "Mountaintop" are bluesy and riff-fueled, the production is decidedly modern, betraying Rundgren's love for computer technology.