During the last quarter of the '90s,
Todd Rundgren spent much of his time on the Internet, distributing music and previews of his in-progress autobiography through his net service, Patronet. Hence, the appearance of
One Long Year, a disc that collects highlights from the Patronet service, plus a couple odds and ends. Technically, it doesn't have a cohesive concept like
With a Twist or TR-I, but that's fine, because its patchwork quality is not only charming, it results in a ragged, multifaceted pop charmer reminiscent of 1982's
The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect. Like that album,
One Long Year boasts a fair share of sparkling pop gems. This time around, it's not quite as pop oriented or tuneful, since there are a re-recording of "Love of the Common Man" and a cut-and-paste instrumental ("Mary and the Holy Ghost") among the rockers, ballads, and pop tunes. This may result in choppy momentum, but diehards are much more likely to appreciate these quirks rather than be alienated by them. They'd be right to accept them, since the gems are things to embrace. "I Hate My Frickin ISP" may be a goofy rant at Internet service providers, but it has a hook and it rocks, just like the cheerfully sleazy "Yer Fast (And I Like It)." It doesn't all drive hard, however, there are sweet moments like "Buffalo Grass" and "The Surf Talks" that give the album an appealing sheen. True, this doesn't really make
One Long Year a classic -- even a second-tier
Rundgren classic like, say, Tortured Artist -- but it is a highly enjoyable patchwork that illustrates that
Rundgren remains a restless musical experimenter and a first-class pop craftsman. And that's enough for anybody that's curious about a new
Rundgren album in 2000. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine