Following two vastly different 2012 full-lengths as well as collaborations with the likes of Todd Terje and Todd Rundgren, Norwegian space-disco king Hans-Peter Lindstrøm returned to his solo career with the 2016 EP Windings, released by his own Feedelity label. The three tracks have nothing in common with his proggy epics like Where You Go I Go Too or the pop songs he wrote with Christabelle, or the outright weirdness of Six Cups of Rebel or Runddans (his album with Rundgren and Serena-Maneesh's Emil Nikolaisen). Instead, Windings contains the type of spacious, floor-filling neo-disco he made his name with during the mid-2000s with tracks like "I Feel Space" and "There's a Drink in My Bedroom and I Need a Hot Lady." There isn't too much variation between the tracks; they're all sprightly, uptempo, and driving, and they all have ecstatic, cheerful melodies and shimmering synth melodies. They're all quite cheerful, and they all swell up to an emotional climax without getting too over the top or distracting. They all strike a neat balance between hot and cool, with enough power to work up a sweat while feeling slightly chilled out, like a summer night breeze. Opener "Closing Shot" is an immediate winner, but closer "Foehn" might be the best track overall. It seems to have been sprinkled with a bit more stardust than the other two tracks, with gliding melodies and more cosmic ambience. There's more depth to it, with a bigger breakdown leading to a spirited re-entry. Windings has the classic Feedelity sound down pat, and whether it's a lead-up to a full-length in the vein of Smalhans or its own stand-alone entity, it's a quality dose of what Lindstrøm does best.
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