You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but you sure can change with the times. On his sixth self-published cd, shapeshifter Terbo Ted once again fearlessly spins the chameleon wheel. Right away die hards will be grumbling- the godfather of speedbass has dropped the tempo and resorted to relatively traditional trappings- there are no hardcore techno blitzkreig masterpieces like "Thrashifier" in this collection. For the first time, Ted has presented us with a set of mostly vocal-based pop songs, an about face from his 1998 album "Spamming" which was entirely made of disembodied samples and cascading suites of instrumental breakbeat cacophony. The same way Beck's mopey "Sea Change" listlessly followed an earlier, energy-drenched and vibrant catalog, Terbo has slid back into strangely familiar and dull terrain; in this case: 80's synth pop and retro electro-house stylings. The album starts with a series of cold and sterile songs that yearn for a bold, bluesy over-the-top cathartic vocal release- somewhere Terbo might indeed go in one of his live bands. One can only scatch their head as he uninspiredly utters the lyric 'I feel ya' over and over again at the close of the opening number. By the time he lamely ramps up into any hint of audible emotion with his voice in the industrially 'Ow' or grungy acid-rock-leaning 'Glorious,' the listener has been subdued by the chilly and quiet loneliness of a one man band hidden deep inside his home studio. While Terbo's techno-pop arrangement skills may shine in moments- witness the instrumental breaks in 'Stuck on You' or 'Cat in the Window' and the comeback ending to 'Ow'- his production standards still fall way below other established electronic artists of his generation. And, strangely, as a culture of younger do-it-yourself artists such as the UK's 'The Streets' have been able to boldly communicate with stripped down lo-fi home studio aesthetics that shine in their authentic disdain for- and lack of- production know-how, Terbo seems to be out of the loop on this one, unable to push himself over the bar. One thing is certain, Terbo Ted- by declaring himself dead- has freed himself from the eclectic constraints of his earlier work with this languid collection.