Thee Physical by Pictureplane
LABEL: Lovepump United

While listening to Pictureplane’s just-released album, Thee Physical, I was blissfully taken back to the early 90s when I would wait with anticipation for the radio to play Technotronic and others in that burgeoning pop-fused-with-house-and-electronic music moment in time. Not only does the album take you there, the underlying emotion in it pulls you deep into a mirrored world of dancing (with mirrored balls!), desire and sexual chemistry without ever needing to leave your seat.

There is a hint of gothic and S&M elements in the songs, lending them a slight edge laced with honeycomb, but never quite pulling them away from catchy pop. Instead, physical, visual and mental sensations are pumped into listener’s ears on a backbone of strong pulsing synths, heavy beats and a wide variety of vocal samplings.



The first two songs are my favorite, and may have you stomping your feet and turning up the volume like I did, picturing a packed and sweaty dance floor or a spliced 90s video. The album kicks off with “Body Mod,” in which a keyboard loop is followed by exotic-sounding instruments and vocals declaring, “We can be ourselves/make it real with our body minds.”

The second track, “Black Nails,” takes off where “Body Mod” ends, with a delayed keyboard loop laying down an anticipatory foundation for the almost-whispered lead vocals and rolling drums that soon kick in, coupled with a recurring bass-heavy synth and layered moaning sounds. 

Another of the album’s strongest songs is “Techno Fetish,” beginning with an undulating synth that gradually picks up in volume. The vocals glide in at the same time as the drums pitch forward, vocals confessing, “You look so pale/I’m into you/I take from you/and you take from me.” The mood of want and need, a moderated physical exchange, is displayed as an ethereal desire coasting out over the ambiance of the electronic components and arcing up through the soft pleading vocals. “Breath Work,” blooms into force with sample moaning, sharp drum claps, and an underlying synth line that lays down the foundation for the rest of the song.

This album compels you to move your body‚ grab your lover or friend, and get down to the floor, losing yourself in the passion and visceral need inherent in these danceable tunes. The songs don’t end in the three-minute requisite intervals like most pop songs; they keep going long after you expect them to. The most amazing thing about this album is how it takes listeners back to a time I never knew I missed. 


REVIEWED BY KYRSTEN BEAN
KYRSTEN’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “Body Mod” • “Black Nails” • “Techno Fetish”
Kyrsten Bean is a freelance writer, a musician and a photographer.

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