White Flags of Winter Chimneys

Wendy & Lisa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Label: W. Melvoin/L. Coleman
• ASIN: B001VKH6YQ
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,379 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

1. Balloon 4:20 -- 2. Invisible 4:57 -- 3. Ever After 3:54 -- 4. Salt & Cherries (MC5) 4:04 -- 5. Niagra Falls 4:07 -- 6. Red Bike 4:49 -- 7. You and I 2:55 -- 8. White Flags Of Winter Chimneys 4:10 -- 9. Sweet Suite (Beginning At The End) 8:41 --

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wendy & Lisa and the r/Evolution, February 26, 2009

By 

Lyn Bilodeau (Austin, TX, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Flags Of Winter Chimneys (MP3 Download)

So - how does one introduce Wendy & Lisa?

Former members of Prince's Revolution? True. Secret musical Illuminati? Definitely, if you count working with everyone from Seal to Soul Coughing, the Revolution to Bill Rieflin, Joni Mitchell to MeShell Ndegeocello, not to mention lil side projects with folks like Eric Clapton and Erykah Badu.

You may think you don't know them, but you know their music. Seal's "Kiss From a Rose," comes on the radio? Singing along to k. d. lang's Invincible Summer? Watching Heroes and getting creeped out by the magnificent score? Yep - you're soaking in it.

I'm one of those geeky fans that likes all that. But I'm ultimately more interested in evolution than Revolution - which is why their albums as Wendy & Lisa are so intriguing to me. The first three albums emerged in a rapid post-Revolution fire of Wendy & Lisa (1987), Fruit at the Bottom (which, released in 1989, ought to be their "Mortified" entry), and Eroica (1990) -- the latter of which neatly presaged everything that you'd hear in every Lilith Fair artist in the wake of its release, but was released just too early for its time. Due to some mix-ups with producer Trevor Horn, and the shelving of the 1994 (so called) Friendly Fire recordings, another album wasn't released until 1998.

And that's when true evolution began. Released in the wake of Jonathan Melvoin's overdose (while on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins), 1998's Girl Bros. is a self-produced song cycle of love and loss - more raw, minimally produced, and mature than the labels were willing to put out previously.

After ten years of scoring and sidework, Wendy & Lisa have finally released a new album. And this one is . . . dare I say, evolved? Digging deep into the dirt of life -- including the breakup of their own romnatic relationship -- Wendy & Lisa have released an album that brings together their immense musical talents with a strong, solid knack for songwriting. The last few years of scoring (particularly on Crossing Jordan and Heroes) have translated into a strong new talent for narrative songwriting. More than any of their previous work, White Flags of Winter Chimneys is written as a full arc, opening with the tender, warm "Balloon," carrying through the summer punk of "Salt & Cherries [MC5]" and "Niagra Falls" and then slowly back again in a cycle of loss to the almost-but-not-quite-shark-jumping orchestral "Sweet Suite".

Beautiful. Mature. Thought provoking. Evolved. Words can't recommend it highly enough.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For those who are looking for something different, February 25, 2009

By 

Kathy Balsley "K. Balsley" (Northeast USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Flags Of Winter Chimneys (MP3 Download)

It ceases to amaze me that Wendy and Lisa is still not being given the recognition they completely deserve.

Yes, they are the women from Prince's Revolution. However, more impotently these women need to be seen outside of Prince's shadow.

They are both incredibly talented musicians who can write music outside of the notes, chords, and time signatures. They are not formula churning musicians and never have been.

Wendy and Lisa create musical textures. Textures you can feel and embrace. Their music has a way of pulling you in, and wanting more. They are always looking for different tones, textures and ways of creating embracing layers to bring the listener into the experience.

Wendy and Lisa are the most versatile artists I have ever encountered. They have released five albums, none of which sound anything like the other, yet still carry a similar intangible theme throughout each of them.

White Flags of Winter Chimneys is an album which to me carries atmospheric themed melodies augmented by rich layers of pianos, keyboards, vocals, acoustic and electric guitars. The rhythmic and percussive layers create an additional depth of steadiness to help keep the listener grounded while listening to the hypnotic melodies.

This album also has songs which makes your want to roll down your windows to let all around you hear!

You will be carried through all the raw emotions of love lost, defiance, perseverance, forgiveness and love found.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Album by Amazing Artists, April 12, 2009

By 

devine - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: White Flags of Winter Chimneys (Audio CD)

There is an old adage that states: "Good things come to those who wait". This adage is only half-correct in describing my White Flags of Winter Chimneys experience. I HAVE waited patiently for the past 10 years for a new Wendy and Lisa album. However, my patience was rewarded not with something merely `good' but rather with a musical experience that was truly `GREAT'. White Flags of Winter Chimneys marks the 5th album release by the dynamic musical duo Wendy and Lisa.

White Flags of Winter Chimneys takes the listener on a journey through balloon rides, break-ups, yearning, anticipation, down Niagra Falls, and ends back at the beginning. Beautifully made, this album features some of Wendy and Lisa's best work to date.

One of the best qualities of White Flags lies in its unpredictability. The opening song `Balloon' is a dreamy ballad, sung by Lisa Coleman, with melodies as seemingly buoyant as the balloon described in the lyrics. The next song, `Invisible', is the antithesis of `Balloon'. The softly sung light-hearted lyrics of Lisa during `Balloon' are replaced by the angry, boastful disparagements sung by Wendy Melvoin during `Invisible'. Throughout the album, Wendy and Lisa expertly oscillate not only between music tempo but also between lead singing duties. This album features the greatest number of songs lead-sung by Lisa Coleman to date. Despite the fluctuating tempos/lead changes, Wendy and Lisa skillfully segue from one song to the other so that the album does not `feel' like a series of disconnected songs, rather, the album `feels' like one continuous musical journey.

In addition to the awesome song transitions, the album contains the complex multi-layered melodies that are a testament to their superb musicianship. Songs such as `Niagra Falls' and `Sweet Suite (Beginning at the End)' keep you guessing as to how many instruments are being played, what they are, and where Wendy's guitar ends and Lisa's `grunge' guitar sounding keyboarding begins.

Highlights of the album include `Salt N Cherries (MC5)'; an explosive rock anthem that is sure to get some part of your body moving, `You and I'; a captivating acoustic piece with incredible lyrical imagery, and `Sweet Suite (Beginning at the End)'; a song that features heart-breaking lyrics about missing a former love that breaks into an equally heart-breaking instrumental.

Listening to White Flags of Winter Chimneys is like looking into a beautiful seashell; you can spend hours analyzing its multi-layered patterns, its rich and complex color schemes, and its overlapping textures - only to realize that you have barely scratched the surface of its beauty. This album is truly a `must have' for Wendy and Lisa fans as well as fans of great music!