"Fun" isn't necessarily a word associated with
Factory Floor, which is why
Physical is the solo debut album from that band's founding member, producer/drummer
Gabe Gurnsey. Where
Factory Floor incorporates its influences into a Borg-like whole, on his own
Gurnsey follows house, electro, punk-funk, EBM, and synth pop down various -- but equally enjoyable -- paths. Despite his projects' different approaches,
Physical might not be as much of a departure for listeners as it was for
Gurnsey to create. A drummer first and foremost, he remains in pursuit of the perfect rhythm, and his beats, whether played by hand or his 707, 808, and 909 drum machines, are just as gnawingly insistent as they are with his other project. "New Kind" begins with a walk-through of his kit -- "kick, snare, hi-hat" -- before unleashing a slinky groove that would do
A Certain Ratio proud. He even finds a substitute for
Factory Floor vocalist Nik Colk Void in Matilda Morris, who brings a half-human, half-android allure to the steamy "Heavy Rubber."
Gurnsey grounds his celebration of dance music's visceral pleasures with a conceptual framework:
Physical traces a night out in L.A., from "Ultra Clear Sound"'s bright, anticipatory liftoff to the reverberating, reflective comedown of "The Last Channel." In between,
Gurnsey revels in tracks that are more melodic and kinetic than ever before. He wraps "You Can"'s funky rhythm section around his listeners, then pulls things taut on "Temazzy." "Harder Rhythm"'s beats tumble as its synths reach for the skies; "Sweet Heat"'s movement is more horizontal, its seductive throb and wailing saxophone creating an ambience as thick as a fog machine. At times, it feels like
Physical's concept asks listeners to fill in the blanks when the music is little more than a sketch -- "I Get" is so streamlined, it's the musical equivalent of a blueprint -- but there are plenty of tracks fully formed enough to stand on their own. Along with the aforementioned "Ultra Clear Sound," "You Can," and "New Kind,"
Gurnsey is at the peak of his powers on the brashly beckoning "Eyes Over" and "Night Track," which brings the album's excitement to a percolating climax. Standouts like these are just as transfixing as
Gurnsey's work with
Factory Floor, and
Physical provides ample proof that he can take the skills he's honed with that group in entertainingly different directions. ~ Heather Phares