Rundgren -- who affects leading-edge status with the nom de rom TR-i and appearances in ads for Apple's PowerBooks -- has tastefully garnished his best new album in a decade with animation, scrolling lyrics and the ability to custom-make your own video. This latter feature recalls TR-i's CD-ROM debut, the tedious No World Order, which permitted users to endlessly fiddle with melody and rhythm. Here you juggle the animations by selecting song titles from a scrolling bar, assembling a "play list" into a multimedia show. Given TR-i's tweaky orientation, this is remarkably restrained. The animations are compelling but never obnoxious. And the lyrics-first format emphasizes his biting social commentary.
Mac/Win, $17