Uitgebracht
September 2012
- The music of Prins Thomas, much like his Norwegian brethren, has always been about an infinite and easygoing rhythm; a motorik beat that seems to stretch forever into the horizon. It's as rock-friendly as it is house-compatible, so it's not such a surprise to see that he's gathered together a group of his friends to "jam." And so we have an EP of long, aimless tunes performed by a full band. The result? Well, it sounds like Prins Thomas tracks played by a band.
Forget space disco, "Snake Music" is desert disco, with sunburnt rhythms rolling across a vista of scorched earth and sand. The bluesy inflections set the tone for an EP of vague moody rumblings and gentle licks, and the rattlesnake shakers betray Thomas' lighthearted sense of humour. "Arild Moen" blossoms into the kind of glorious climax you might expect from a slow-burning space disco tune, but this time it's rendered in real life strings and bows—and it works. "Hamar Bluesklubb," on the other hand, sounds like a human band attempting to imitate a mechanistic and methodical chug; it's Thomas' usual work flattened into a workmanlike pace rather than anything particularly grabbing, full-throated bass guitar aside. Only expanding on the inherent problem, "Surkal" fails because it doesn't really know what to do with itself. Built with a glossy string motif and colourful guitar runs, when it's not impersonating early Kraftwerk it simply sounds perfunctory, running in place.
Tracklist A Snake Music
B Hamar Bluesklubb
C Surkal
D Arild Moen