The Invisible: The Invisible
The Invisible: The Invisible
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Tuesday, 03, Mar 2009 03:12
Accidental, out now.
In a nutshell...
Twitchy, funky, avant-garde thought-pie.
What's it all about?
Intriguing and intelligent genre-shredding debut from London trio the Invisible. While the band's work has drawn inevitable comparisons with the alt. rock stylings of TV on the Radio, the reality is a complex collection that at once fuses folk, funk and fury while drawing on a vast array of seemingly opposed influences.
Who's it by?
An experimental troupe with an impressive pedigree. Guitarist and vocalist Dave Okumu is joined by part-time Hot Chip drummer Leo Taylor and bassist Tom Herbert, formerly of 2005 Mercury Prize nominees Polar Bear. Also noteworthy is the involvement of Matthew Herbert as producer; a close musical ally of Okumu and esteemed avant-garde innovator in his own right.
As an example...
"I was thinking about something you told me/I was thinking about something you said/Who said that we could do anything that we wanted to?" - Climate Revelation
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Not a chance. While there are some real striking moments here, memorable tunes are few and far between. This is a band clearly seeking to challenge its audience, but unfortunately most of what's on offer here lacks the clout to convince.
So is it any good?
The record itself begins and ends powerfully enough, yet the achingly dull middle sector is ultimately what lets it down.
Opening track In Retrograde displays a dark yet folksy, stripped-down tone, lulling the listener in before unleashing the carnal tom-toms of Constant. The sinister thud of Taylor's skins combines with a driving fuzzy bass that brings to mind the dirtiness of Queens of the Stone Age merged with the Presets' hip-shaking electro rhythms.
Unfortunately, this is where the excitement ends, for some time at least. While Passion spectacularly belies its name, London Girl grinds away to an infuriatingly repetitive funk refrain that is, alas, far less intelligent than it pretends to be.
Further irritation can be drawn from the unnecessarily worthy lyrics that can be found throughout this album. This is no more evident than in Baby Doll, where the lyric "Do you remember/To stand up for what you believe in?" is so mind-numbingly obvious that it hurts.
Fortunately, faith is largely restored by the end, thanks in no small part to the stand-out Climate Revelation. Despite suffering from the same state-the-obvious-syndrome as much of the record, this is a manic juggernaut of a tune with relentless, paranoid energy. Tally of Souls, meanwhile, is an acoustic wonder that twists and turns on a sixpence with slick changes of pace and rhythm that are faintly reminiscent of Amnesiac-era Radiohead.
While there are plenty of hooks to please the electro aficionados among us, dont be fooled; the Invisible is an album which at least tries to offer a great deal more than head-bobbing riffs. While it is certainly limited in success, there is, without any doubt, the promise of real flair and invention here. Don't be surprised to hear this three-piece return to rack your brains again at a later date.
7/10
Stephen Jones