Triple Pop 2026
Giving a new lease of life to their pièce de résistance, Californian new wavers invite the hermit of mink hollow to come forward and help them look back.
TODD RUNDGREN –
The Walls Came Down
There are period pieces and there are those reverberating over decades while being forever tethered to the times that produced them; THE CALL’s “The Walls Came Down” is one of such classics. Relevant again in our current political climate, the song’s strength revitalized the American ensemble and saw the veterans pair up with Todd Rundgren, who regularly included the 1983 anthem into his own repertoire, to bring it back. What seemed impossible after the band’s frontman Michael Been passed away in 2010 became reality: whereas 2024’s “The Lost Tapes” saw the remaining trio merely restore, finish and polish the previously shelved tracks, the fresh cut of the group’s signature track emerges as a result of recent sessions, held specially for this project. Yet there’s more to the EP on offer than a new take on the titular perennial, because the major part of the disc housing it features a smattering of concert recordings from the “Modern Romans” era, including the evergreen smash.
Of course, the upgraded “Walls” is an impressive work. It’s fantastic, listening to Rundgren’s succulent vocals laid against a vigorous, catchy ‘n’ crunchy instrumental backing which shines in a separate voiceless variant of the piece – set as a counterpoint to the Todd’s sonic attack, with the different details of it all highlighted in two distinct mixes, his and the collective’s. Still, to hear Been lead the flock into the infectious refrain at the end is a fan-coveted treat, given the band’s only live album documented their 1990 show – and five other numbers from their gig in London in 1983, two of those off “Scene Beyond Dreams” that wouldn’t be out until the following year, make this release a thing to cherish. There’s wondrous rawness to the playfully frantic “Delivered” where Jim Goodwin’s ivories tie Tom Ferrier’s airy guitar to earth, and Scott Musick’s drums propel Greg Freeman’s bass to delirium – and the arresting punch to “All About You” to harness the group’s slider-fueled angst and anger and render’s Michael’s roar delicious. And if “Turn A Blind Eye” pogoes around rock ‘n’ roll dynamics, the belligerent “Back From The Front” demonstrates folk sensibilities to a great effect.
The satisfaction derived from going back in time apparently provided the combo with an impetus to dust off and reproduce, with guests, more oldies. Go for it, guys!
****1/2
