Album Review: Lindstrom And Prins Thomas - II

I'm told this Norwegian leftfield folky electronica duo are heavily influenced by 80s disco, but if they are, I'm not hearing it. Perhaps their previous outing, which I've not heard, was more in that vein. This is more like Zero 7, Fragile State or perhaps Mudd. And one glance at the cover art will tell you that you're about to be taken somewhere psychedelic. From the opening chords of 'Cisco' these guys get truly recumbent with slow synths and samples - it's akin to The Orb but without the need to rock the crowd. 'For Ett...', meanwhile, is slightly reminiscent of Air, while 'Rett Pa' moves slowly into a spacey place, while 'Rothaus' takes a step towards acid rock. The final two minutes of 'Gudene Vet And Snutt' is the album's high point, as the duo point towards techno aspirations, despite this being one of the more guitar-y of the album's tracks. It peaked my interest but it was all over too soon - this is more the vibe I'd hoped for from these guys and I would have liked to have heard more. 'II' is a hugely navel gazing album and, although it has its moments, is a bit bland for my tastes. That said, it's a good chill out studio jam and it's clear that Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas have put some time and thought into making it, placing it happily a few light years away from any manufactured pop music. PV

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