Altsounds - The Invisible - Self Titled [Album]

The Invisible’s eponymous LP is something of a new animal. The whole thing exhibits a fusion of classic soul moods and uncompromisingly modern production, with more than a hint of curious experimentalism. The Invisible feels like a notable paper by some funky scholar, or the sole contents of Archimedes’ iPod – filed simply under ‘Eureka'.

The trio who comprise The Invisible are of respectable muso pedigree. Both the singer and the skins-man, Dave Okumu and Leo Taylor, are past Matthew Herbert collaborators and the bassist, Tom Herbert, also flaunts his distinctively versatile bass chops as part of post-jazz wunder-männers Polar Bear.

The opening track, In Retrograde, conjures an instantly classic feel. Okumu’s thoughtful lyrics ‘Where do I begin? / Everything will return to its origin’ combine with the effects-laden, sedate arrangement to bring back memories of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon – the first of an astonishingly eclectic bunch of influences on display throughout the album.

Single track London Girl consists of a funky 70’s bassline, icy treble guitar tones, dancey hi-hat patterns and Okumu’s soulful vocal – which are all brought bang up to date by an assortment of delayed synths and production values courtesy of the aforementioned Matthew Herbert behind the boards.

This is all well and good, a catchy and well-constructed morsel, but it doesn’t relay the whole story to The Invisible’s potential fans. It dresses the album up. It casts a digestible, mainstream veil over The Invisible’s true identity - much like the wife of a traffic warden who tells her friends that he ‘works with cars’.

Monster’s Waltz, another single track, features a riff that you might expect to find in Cyndi Lauper’s discography. Again, when the utterly modern production kicks in, the retro riffage is dragged into the 21st Century with surprisingly seamless precision.

Similarly, the songwriting weaves and bobs with pugilistic gusto. Just when you think you have this track figured out, The Invisible suddenly break into a twisted, Radiohead-esque chord progression, both confounding and delighting the listener. This facet of their personality is one of The Invisible’s greatest strengths, and adds a shed load to the album’s lastability.

Standout track, Jacob & The Angel, thickens the air with drowsy, syrupy soul. Interestingly, it also features a 5/4 time signature - another example of how this album represents the wonderfully illicit marriage of modern and retro, the intriguing, unholy tryst between traditional and progressive.

The Invisible describe their sound as ‘experimental genre-spanning spacepop’ which is as concise a summary as could be, for such a diverse sound. It would be easy to shoebox The Invisible based on their singles, but anyone who listens further will be rewarded by a remarkably eclectic combination of sounds old and new.