Prins Thomas

Prins Thomas

(Full Pupp; US: 13 Apr 2010; UK: 29 Mar 2010)

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As disco goes, Norwegian producer Prins Thomas (popularly known as Lindstrøm’s other musical half) has always outpaced LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy. In a more even-handed critical landscape, Thomas’s self-titled debut solo LP would be received with the level of enthusiasm that surrounded LCD Soundsystem’s recent This is Happening. Easily the better album of the two, Prins Thomas references some of the same 1970s rock influences that Murphy integrates into his current sound, but the result is much more self-assured and dynamic. Across seven lengthy tracks, Thomas melds his electronic and rock music impulses into proggy, funky, and above all rhythmic compositions that are actually quite relaxing and often tuneful, even as they rely on regimentation and the motorik beat. Although the album is mostly instrumental, the use of occasional vocals is effective, especially on the stunning “Nattønsket”. “Wendy Not Walter” and “Åttiåtte” are the two tracks with the clearest relationship to modern dance music, but on the whole Prins Thomas is a delightfully revivalist affair that revisits the age of Neu!, Can, and Cymande with a great deal of credibility and skill.