Monday, October 04, 2004

Jill, Stephen, and Bjork

New York Times had a piece on the wonderful Jill Sobule (25th Sept) mentioning Todd, who produced her excellent debut ''Things Here Are Different,'' who proclaimed her ''a Joni Mitchell for the 90's.'' Lofty and flattering as such comparisons were, the album sold poorly (If you don't have it, shame on you - find a copy and buy it, you wont be disappointed). MCA rejected her follow-up and then released her from her contract.

Former Pavement front-man Stephen Malkmus mentioned Todd on Billboard whilst describing making his latest solo album: "I did more of it myself, a little bit like the old Pavement records," Malkmus reveals. "Because the studio was in my basement, I took the helm. I pretty much engineered it myself; punching in with my toe, Todd Rundgren-style. I think it has come out pretty good, but I'm looking for some extra ears to make sure it's as good as I think it is."

John Soeder of the The Plain Dealer (26th Sept) reviews Bjork's "Medulla" saying "Of course "Medulla" is weird. We're talking about a woman who wears egg-laying swan dresses, remember? There are almost no instruments on Bjork's new album. Instead, her beguiling voice is accompanied primarily by choirs and human beatboxes. The results are magical enough on "Pleasure Is All Mine" and "Who Is It." But Todd Rundgren did this sort of thing first and did it better on his 1985 album "A Cappella."