If ever a title explained an album's intent, it's Todd Rundgren's Arena, an explicit return to the extravagantly theatrical guitar rock he abandoned, largely out of boredom, some 25 years ago. During that quarter century, Rundgren touched upon almost all of his other obsessions, spending a considerable amount of time fixated upon technology, but deliberately avoided anything resembling Utopia until he stepped in for an absent Ric Ocasek for the 2005 Cars reunion which followed on the heels of Liars, Todd's strongest and poppiest album in years. The New Cars -- as the reunited band was wittily dubbed -- returned Rundgren to arenas and reignited his interest in outsized rock & roll, so he threw himself into a project that gave him an excuse to sing skyscraper hooks and play too much guitar, which is exactly what Arena promises and delivers.

Apart from an occasional glimpse of computer-stitched seams, the album is an uncanny recreation of Todd's late-'70s/early-'80s period, occasionally playing like a belated sequel to 1983's The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect. On a pure sonic level, this may be true -- especially when he glides into a glimmering, quietly insistent pop tune like "Courage" -- but the aesthetics are sharply different, as Rundgren never indulges in the impish humor that surfaced continually on Tortured Artist, preferring to stew in the outrage that fueled Liars. Opening with the outright threat "Mad," Arena roils with fear and frustration, manifesting in gnarled knots of guitars and cavernous drumbeats, not to mention staccato successions of blunt, one-word song titles. Just as it did on Liars, this fury ties Arena together but thanks to all the exaggerated gestures, this feels angrier as a whole, which makes it pretty bracing. Rundgren's deliberate dramatics also make the gentler songs seem sweeter, but also make his sardonic jokes and political protests -- which do come hand in hand, as on the soldier-chant chorus of "Gun" -- draw blood. And that may be the most curious thing about Arena:

Musically, it's an unabashed throwback, having nothing to do with what arena rock is in 2008, but Todd's songs are all about the conflicted, confused present. This seeming paradox doesn't turn Arena into a muddle but instead gives it some invigorating friction that makes the album seem urgent and captivating, if not necessarily vital. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine


  Gillan's Inn Deluxe Tour Editon CD
  by Ian Gillan
Our Price: $15.29 CD / $10.89 MP3
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At this point in his career, Ian Gillan really has nothing to prove to anyone in the rock world. He's created one of the most successful bands in the history of rock & roll, and has aged with a grace and class few of his contemporaries can rival. So it makes sense that Gillan's Inn is a relaxed affair and offers up a simple set of rock & roll without pretense or a bloated concept. Taking a cue from Santana's latest releases, a nonstop onslaught of guest appearances fills the rooms of Gillan's Inn, including Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, Joe Satriani, Roger Glover, Steve Morse, Jeff Healey, Uli John Roth, Ronnie James Dio, and Goo Goo Dolls pinup boy Johnny Rzeznik. The result is a 14-song session that's as much inoffensive fun as it is straight-ahead blues-tinged rock & roll. ~ Rob Theakston

Legendary singer and Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan toured North America during August and September 2006 and Immergent captured the thrill that is a concert tour on this exclusive fan pack CD and DVD. Included here is the original Gillan's Inn audio CD with three newly added tracks, along with the original DVD side of the Dual Disc, again expanded with more content from the tour including saucy tour bus fun, inebriated interviews and much more.

  Agents Of Ahriman CD
  by Greenleaf
Our Price: $11.45 CD/ $8.91 MP3
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A whole four years after their last release (003's Secret Alphabets) left curious listeners intrigued and somewhat confused, here comes Sweden's Greenleaf -- the sometime side project that won't die, but sure takes its sweet-ass time to come ... Full Descriptionon back -- with another collection of stoner and classic rock action titled Agents of Ahriman. Here again, the group seems to feature as many "core" musicians (most notably Dozer guitarist Tommi Holappa) as invited guests (including members of Lowrider and Truckfighters), and this goes some way towards explaining both the loosely arranged, almost improvisational feel to many of their fuzz rock explorations as well as the vast array of retro-rock styles visited from start to finish. To wit, give Agents of Ahriman just a cursory glance, and you'll identify several shades of Deep Purple and lunar phases of Steppenwolf ("Black Tar," "The Lake"); Ozzy vocal imitations ("Highway Officer") and screaming Monster Magnet intensity ("Ride Another Highway"); Pink Floyd-like space meddling ("Sleep Paralysis") and Hawkwind-esque interstellar droning ("Treehorn"); Ram Jam-style blues crust ("Stray Bullit Woman") and Sir Lord Baltimore-type psych guitar gone "Bolero" (the title track), and lots of latter day Blue Öyster Cult in the catchy licks and vocal lines of "Alishan Mountain." In the end, though, the one thing that all of these songs have in common is a rather basic, lo-fi production strategy (which suits them rather well, don't you know?), and the aforementioned ability to confuse and intrigue in virtually equal measures. Obviously, none of this bodes very well for Greenleaf to attract a dedicated fan contingent, but, if past form repeats itself, it's not like that the group will be coming back this way again any time soon, either. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

  Somewhere To Elsewhere CD
  by Kansas
Our Price: $13.45 CD / $10.89 MP3
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SOMEWHERE TO ELSEWHERE is destined to take its place as a landmark in the career of art rock veterans Kansas. Here the Topeka natives reunite where there's "no place like home," to create their first studio album with all-original members in 17 years. Recorded in a home-built studio on guitarist Kerry Livgren's farm, this collection returns the band to the heartland sound and crafted arrangements that made it a household name in the '70s.

The WWII-inspired epic "Icarus II" opens with a majestic intro, setting the tone for an heroic tale, while "The Coming Dawn (Thanatopsis)" is an inspiring ballad that single-handedly recaptures the essence of the classic Kansas sound, and "Myriad" brims with all the progressive elements that inspired countless like-minded acts in the '80s and '90s. While his voice has roughened slightly around the edges, vocalist Steve Walsh hasn't lost any of his fire and emotion, as evidenced by tracks such as "Distant Vision" and "Byzantium," both of which have roots that can be traced back to the band's LEFTOVERTURE era.

Recorded at Grandyzine Studio, Berryton, Kansas.
Personnel: Robbie Steinhardt (vocals, violin, viola, background vocals); Billy Greer (vocals, bass guitar, background vocals); Steve Walsh (vocals, background vocals); Kerry Livgren (guitar, keyboards); Dave Hope (bass guitar).


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