Lindstrom: On A Clear Day I Can See You Forever (Colored Vinyl) Vinyl LP Lindstrom

Hans-Peter Lindstrøm’s Where You Go I Go To always stuck out to me from the rest of the Norwegian space disco pack as an earnest  and singular musical statement, and its one of the few records from that era I’ve kept and still listen to regularly. I admire its unwavering long-form dedication to one musical idea, a trip through sonic hills and valleys that becomes deeply evocative through repetition (even if it does borrow heavily from E2-E4). His new one is just as idealistic (and good), comprised of four long-form transcendental electronic pieces commissioned by the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter art center of Norway. Taking inspiration from oddball pop auteur Robert Wyatt and the “effortless, fearless, free, not insisting” qualities of his music, Lindstrøm entered these sessions with only synths and drum machines – no vocals, no computers. The chugging disco beat that formed the backbone of his previous records is gone, and Lindstrøm makes great use of the space he’s afforded himself without being tethered to a master clock. The title track is a roving Memorymoog improvisation perfectly designed for museum wandering but equally suitable for at-home headphone drama. “Swing Low Sweet LFO” is even less predictable, pairing technicolor arpeggio swells with a blown-out lead synth that at its gnarliest resembles a prog rock guitar solo. “Really Deep Snow” is underpinned by a faint bossa nova pulse (coupled with the spindly synth arpeggios it sorta resembles Steve Moore’s L.I.E.S. 12”s – not a bad thing) and “As If No One Is Here” is the token introverted inside cut, full of atmosphere and emotion – the gentle pur of the low-pass Rhodes chords that come in about halfway through are just sublime. Clear vinyl edition released by Smalltown Supersound, recommended.

• clear vinyl pressing
• housed in full color matte jacket w/ poly-lined inner sleeve
• music label: Smalltown Supersound 2019

reviewed by naffi sandwich 11/2019