Alexander Geist's "Transparent" Is a Sublime Pop Oddity
"Transparent" is being billed as the final release from Alexander Geist before their imminent death. But fear not dear listeners, it's not for nothing that this London/Berlin darling of the indie pop world is compared to David Bowie - Geist's time making subversive pop may be done, but surely we have a future creative iteration to look forward to.
But if "Transparent" is the last we see from Geist, then what a way to finish. Reimagining the heyday of '90s Bruce Weber shoots as a queer fantasia, it's a ballad of the bizarre that feels beamed in from an alternate universe. It must truly be seen to believed. Take a look at the Sam Ratcliffe-directed visual below.
Speaking on the visual, Geist tells Highsnobiety in an email that "We tried to make the song itself sound like a hybrid of a Greek Orthodox chant and a classic FM radio ballad (like "Drive" by the Cars or "I'm Not in Love" by 10cc)," in addition to the "the usual mix of inspo - 19th century poetry and '90s pop, an ambrosia salad of touchstones!"
"Transparent" is out now via Wicked Hag Records. For more on Alexander Geist, head here.