Erik Lindgren专辑介绍：by Richard FossErik Lindgren's first solo album is a goofy mix of odds and ends, some of which sound like they might have been outtakes from his projects with other bands. This is bolstered by the fact that many of these tracks were recorded as much as ten years before they were released, and feature Lindgren himself on as many as nine instruments. This is not unique, as lots of musicians like to play around in their home studios multi-tracking themselves, and some, like Todd Rundgren, actually make hits that way. Lindgren is no Rundgren, but he is an inventive musician who makes good music even when screwing around in the studio. Half of Polar Yet Tropical is devoted to frantic keyboard-based reinterpretations of '60s heavy metal and proto-punk, the other half to original pieces that are similar to Lindgren's work with Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. The first half is much less compelling, the kind of novelty record you play once or twice and then get rid of. Did the world really need proof that Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" could sound even more heavy and alienated when played on a great big pile of keyboards and a harmonica? Or that the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" has the same effect when given the same treatment? The combination of Lindgren's limitations as a vocalist and the basically ludicrous idea dooms everything in this half of the album except for a decent remake of the Marketts' lone hit, the instrumental "Out of Limits." The other half of the album is where Lindgren reminds listeners that he's a composer of considerable gifts. The pieces here feature a graceful, often introspective mix of delicate keyboards, creating atmospheric music. This is the half of the album that anyone but a die-hard Dr. Demento fan will actually play and enjoy. Hearing Lindgren working with a quieter ensemble that includes vibes, clarinet, and bassoon is revelatory and shows a rarely seen side of his talent. Polar Yet Tropical is half of a really remarkable album, worth having just for the tracks where Lindgren explored his muse rather than mined a decade for laughs.