For me, many of Prince’s best moments on record came during the years that Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were making music with him.

Lisa Coleman joined Prince’s touring band in 1980, contributing vocals to both the Controversy and 1999 albums. When keyboardist Dez Dickerson departed in 1983, Coleman suggested childhood pal Wendy Melvoin as a replacement. Melvoin was welcomed into the fold as sessions began for Purple Rain, when The Revolution moniker was established.

Wendy and Lisa (surnames no longer necessary) have been credited with shaping Prince’s sound during this period. Through Parade, the two wrote, arranged, and added adventurous textures to tracks in the studio, like the psychedelia present on Purple Rain follow-up, Around The World In A Day.

Prince dissolved The Revolution after completing the tour supporting Parade. Following the split with His Purple Highness, Wendy and Lisa recorded two albums for Columbia: Wendy and Lisa (1987) and Fruit On The Bottom (1989). Though the self-titled disc’s first single, “Waterfall,” received some exposure, neither album did very well, and the duo was dropped from the label’s roster.

In 1990, Wendy and Lisa landed at Virgin Records with Eroica. Unleashing the funk on their third outing, many critics considered the album the duo’s best yet. Even today, singles like “Strung Out” and “Sideshow” remain strong showcases of the musicianship they’d previously brought to Prince’s party.

“Strung Out” was a minor dance hit (ignore the less-than-ideal video transfer):

And here’s “Sideshow,” because I dig it:

Beyond an additional 1998 album (recording as the Girl Bros.), Wendy and Lisa have primarily focused on composing music for film and TV projects, including Crossing Jordan and Carnivàle. Currently, they reach millions of viewers each week, scoring NBC’s Heroes; that gig garnered the duo a 2007 ASCAP award.

But Wendy and Lisa are once more moving beyond TV themes, scenes, and segues. White Flags Of Winter Chimneys, their fifth studio album, was released exclusively via their website in December.

White Flags Of Winter Chimneys is a 9-track study of densely layered, atmospheric songs. There’s no funk to be found here, and some of these tunes will take a while to sink in. But after a decade, what’s the rush? Still, for fans desiring some immediate gratification—because ten years is a very long time to wait for something new from the two—the straight-up pop/rock of “Invisible” is a clear winner:

I should mention that Wendy and Lisa are still occasionally drawn into Prince’s orbit. In addition to a few one-off live appearances, they contributed to two tracks on Prince’s 2007 album, Planet Earth (“The One U Wanna C” and “Lion of Judah”). Wendy recently guested on another ’80s pop superstar’s album, playing guitar on Madonna’s “She’s Not Me,” a Prince-influenced standout from Hard Candy.

Purchase White Flags of Winter Chimneys via the official Wendy and Lisa website. The album is offered in several formats, including MP3, FLAC, CD, and vinyl.