At the forefront of a group of dance artists and producers with marked affinities for 70s disco, soft rock, soundtracks, and prog, Norwegian duo Hans-Peter Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas are often thought of as the posterboys for "space disco" (aka a lot of other things, the funniest of which I've heard is "beardo house"). Between the two of them, they've produced some of the best dance music, regardless of genre, over the past few years: "I Feel Space", "Goettsching", "There's a Drink In My Bedroom and I Need a Hot Lady", "Alien In My Pocket", and remixes for just about anyone who's been given techno props at Pitchfork. Their sound is a mixture of nostalgia and retro-futuristic sheen, mining similar emotional spacefields as Daft Punk, Avalanches, Air, and LCD Soundsystem, even if they don't necessarily cross the same musical borders.
Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas is the duo's first full-length album, and rather than stuff it with previous released singles or B-sides, they've opted for mostly new music. And much like with James Murphy's LCDS record from last year, it could have used a few more ringers: While L&PT; gives a serviceable account of what these guys do, most of the songs aren't exactly their best. Tunes like "Boney M Down" or "Claudia", with almost identical drum patterns and basslines, pass by without much fanfare or reason to listen to them. They're pleasant, and though hardly "bad," are examples of an already smooth record gone completely passive. Conversely, the slow ballad "Don O Van Budd" works passivity to its advantage, leaving empty space in between its sluggish beats and building tension in the process-- even if it's the kind of tension you might hear in a Lionel Richie song.
The best stuff on the record seems effortless and breezy by comparison. Opening track "Foreløpig Bit" features a masterful arrangement of disco rhythm section (and another variation of what is apparently the pair's favorite bassline), quasi-Arabic synth melody, and one of Lindstrøm's signature chord changes, which transforms the song from good vamp to lovely surprise. The underrated 2005 single "Turkish Delight" isn't as extravagant, but features one of many nice guitar leads, and a subtle, Italo-informed synthesizer riff in the background that lends much-needed forward momentum. "Sykkelsesong" is heavier, and also features a cool, vaguely Afrobeat guitar riding atop a hard disco pulse, and with a big, pillowy synth cluster punctuating the ends of phrases every now and then. The melody is there, but like many of the pair's best tracks, it's not necessarily as important as the overall effect of perpetual motion and organic performance.
Of course, a mixed bag LP hardly dents Lindstrøm & Thomas' reputation for A-list singles and remixes. As of this writing, Lindstrøm has released two singles since this record came out ("Monsteer", and "Mighty Girl" with Thomas) better than most of what you'll find here. I say keep tracking their progress-- and lobby for a comp.
