So, it's here. The 25th solo album from Mr Rundgren.
Let's start off by saying that Global
is a continuation of musical ideas explored on the last album State. The main problem with State (which has good stuff on it) was
it felt like the gimmick of adding more EDM into the mix resulted in that often
leading and overwhelming the songs, rather than the songs leading the need for
the addition of an EDM feel. I think this has been addressed on Global, where (regardless of whether you
think it works or not) it's the songs that seem dictate the need for the
musical style. This makes Global a
much more accessible and ultimately more enjoyable than State.
It all kicks off with a Evrybody,
a silly, frothy pop song. It's a catchy
sing-a-long that is hard not to want to join in with. From there on in we move
from straight out EDM (Global Nation,
Flesh and Blood) a throw back to 80s Utopia and 'So' era Peter Gabriel (Skyscraper),
some funk pop (Earth Mother), and
most importantly some soul. Where the album scores highest
and works best is when 'soul' Todd is in the driving seat: So on tracks such as
Soothe, Fate, and Blind [complete
with great sax solo] the quality of Rundgren's song
writing shines through, as it does on Rise,
possibly my favourite track at time of writing. The added EDM influence of Terra Firma, This Island Earth also work well.
Not everything works: Earth
Mother, whilst having its heart in the right place, is a little too cheesy
for me, and I could have done without the 'whoah's' on Holyland
too. But these are minor quibbles.
It may not go down as a classic but there is much to like on Global with its hints of Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys added to Rundgren's song writing
skills. I like.
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