"There's a 60-year-old man on stage wearing regulation rock star shades and the tightest leather trousers this side of Iggy Pop" - So Begins the Glasgow Herald's, Four star, review of Todd's gig at the Edinburh Playhouse of Friday night. It goes onto say "It's Todd Rundgren's voice that really stands out, though. After 40 years of practice, Rundgren's vocal cords have matured into a guttural roar from Hades." Meanwhile the Scotsman's reviewer felt todd was worth the full 5 stars , also picking out the vocals claiming "his relentlessly screaming rock vocals outdid even the mighty Roger Daltry in his prime."
Whilst the Decemberists have been around for a number of years, and a friend of mine is a big fan, I have to confess - a few tunes aside - they have never really made much of a splash with me. With their fifth album - 'The Hazards of Love' - a 17-track concept album that sort of tells a story about a fair maiden ravished by a shape-shifting demon (no, really) - however, I am suddenly find myself surprisingly won over. On some levels - like most concept albums - it is utter tosh, but with its repeating musical motifs and reprises, making you quickly think that actually there are only about five actual songs on the album - a clever trick. Like with all good concept albums this makes listening on shuffle not the ideal way to digest this album - especially as their are short 'interlude' pieces joining all the songs too. Added to all this the fact that the band seem to have a love for early 70's British folk/prog/heavy metal and this walks right up my street - and will ...
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