BIOSEXUAL
THE WINDOW WANTS THE BEDROOM
DBL069
Sacramento-based experimental pop trio Biosexual brings together the diverse talents of Zac Nelson, previously of Portland, and brother and sister solo-recorders Michael RJ Saalman and Jocelyn Noir. Each member has been unflinching in their solo efforts, though Nelson has been most prolific, releasing work on a string of like-minded labels that—by their historic proclevities—help coordinate the full range of his exotic home productions. Ironically, this range seems to form a bridge between the siblings on their eponymous full band debut, the two having come more recently into their own; Saalman’s debut was released by Crash Symbols and Noir’s latest as Alak appeared via Kaleidoscope, both this October. Though Saalman and Noir share Nelson’s experimental sensibility, both have found their own distinct ways of translating their pop culture influences. Not that Nelson doesn’t have his own diverse palette; he cites a conscious, significant connection with non-musical aspects of his environment and maintains an open compositional style that can yield almost anything as musicians work to add their individual elements.
Though the band’s debut was initially structured by Nelson and Saalman over the course of several years, Noir was added and began to help write songs in early 2012 as it became clear that Biosexual would need to play live eventually—as opposed to their solo projects, which have been prohibitively difficult to stage. The result is a synthesis of all three band members. Tracks like “The Window Wants the Bedroom” and “Naked and Feeling It” are reminiscent of Saalman’s gnostic loops and beatwork for Crash Symbols, combining commercial production with the band’s incredible range together. Others show a glimmer of the shambolic synths and striking vocals that have characterized Alak’s work, particular the slow burn of “Fun Boy.” Many tracks retain a sense of Nelson’s distinct approach to drum and vocals, often enough shared by his bandmates, but still a potent element in keeping the trio’s sound accessible. In place of conventional pop, the band uses strategic dissonance or imbalance as much as structure to attract a listener’s attention. This tendency is upheld by frequent, unexpected rhythms and the variety of roles occupied by “voice” in each song, as with “Conjure Sharks” and “Human Slide.” The album begins and ends with two tracks that are perhaps most emblematic of its total outlook; the more oblique opener, “The Window Wants the Bedroom,” with the end held down by an even more blissfully evocative closer and the album’s longest track, “The Flesh Sings.”
Mastered by Scott Colburn, the LP is stored in a matte sleeve with UV die cut text embellishments.
$15 LP & DIGITAL
$8 DIGITAL |
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