Willard's Wormholes

Liars (2004)
Todd’s Return

Easily… Todd’s best release in decades. Self-written and recorded, Liars is infused with a vitality that’s been missing from many of the curious sidetracks Todd has pursued since last century. The colliding melodies and layered, swirling keyboards sometimes recall the Wizard era, the painfully obvious drawbacks being the minuscule use of guitars and Todd’s reliance on drum machines – which are sometimes fine, other times demo-esque. Fight through that, though, and you’ll uncover some of TR’s most arresting tunes in eons. Some Utopian characteristics are there to be found, while “Happy Anniversary” sounds like he was hanging with Danny Elfman during the Charlie And The Chocolate Factory soundtrack sessions. And you gotta love the white, boy band R&B of “Flaw.” Elsewhere, Todd rails against God and women (hence the title), with a few obscenity-laced tirades to drive his point home. This is the Japanese version, with the more appealing cover art. I remember in 2004, after years of lackluster TR albums, not even bothering to listen to Liars because of the ridiculous original cover art, figuring it was just more of the same lazy record making Todd’s been guilty of for far too long. After his stint in The New Cars, Rundgren followed this album with the guitar-heavy Arena in 2008. If you ever liked Todd, this one’s worth your time. Amazon

Truth (5:13)
Sweet (5:52)
Happy Anniversary (4:24)
Soul Brother (4:14)
Stood Up (4:42)
Mammon (4:54)
Future (6:04)
Past (5:56)
Wondering (5:11)
Flaw (4:43)
Afterlife (3:56)
Living (5:38)
God Said (7:40)
Liar (5:08)