The debut solo outing from the lesser-known half of the wildly underrated 2 Bears (alongside Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard) is a curious affair. At 27 minutes, it’s more of a sampler platter than a full, cohesive statement—an oddball smattering of pop songs behaving like dance tracks and vice versa—but much of what’s here is worth salivating over. First single “Right Time” remains a towering highlight: a glowing, sumptuous, casually anthemic filter-disco slow-burner that’s one of the best tracks of 2016 in any genre. Nothing else follows suit or even really tries: The twinkly, laid-back, acid-tinged house of “Llama Farmer” is in the same ballroom, at least. But otherwise, “Carried Away” veers into rollicking, quick-footed (and strangely introspective) piano rock, “Shoppin’ For A Shaman” is dozy, brightly plodding sunshine psychedelia, and “Poor Bitch” is a 90-second political sing-song/Beat-poetry goof. All told, it’s definitely a head-scratcher, but there’s plenty of that ineffable ursine magic on display. Abundant evidence exists that while he may be selfie-obsessed, Rundell is a musically generous, gregarious soul.
—K. Ross Hoffman
