Todd Rundgren/Emil Nikolaisen/Hans-Peter Lindstrøm
Runddans
SMALLTOWN SUPERSOUND
6/10
This is a very strange album, but that’s to be expected when you look at Runddans’ key players. Todd Rundgren, Hans-Peter Lindstrøm, and Emil Nikolaisen have all pushed sound and melody into exciting places within their respective careers, so why not throw it all into a blender together? This space-disco opus also starts in a rather exciting manner, but as the twelve segments of this album sprawl out, it becomes clear that Runddans doesn’t transcend the premise of an indulgent jam record—albeit one produced with flair. Runddans is an idea (three years in gestation no less) that’s better on paper, yet not without its own sense of charm. You can picture the trio reviewing their riffs and conferring that, yes, they all like the idea that this sounds like it’s going more industrial and harmonic. This is an oddity that many will appreciate, but it would be more for muso vinyl-on-coffee-table points than anything revolutionary.
