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Headed by Dave Okumu and originally formulated as a solo project The Invisible are a band that have evolved into critical darlings and a musical stalwart, not through their own volition but the power of the music which they put out. Nominated for the Mercury prize as a result of their 2009 debut, the band faces the prospect of maintaining their momentum with follow-up ‘Rispah’.
Uniquely immersive from the get-go, the LP accumulates the listener to the journey that will be embarked on with the loose progression of ‘The Great Wounds’ soaring riffs. By the time second track ‘Wings’ clicks in, the album is in its full rhythmic stride, throwing an avalanche of genre blending tracks at the listener. There is a lot of depth to the album, which lends it perhaps the quality most lacking from the majority of modern albums – longevity.
At the same time this may provide a boundary for many more fickle listeners as it also requires a certain amount of investment from the listener. It’s one of those albums which it may take two or three listens to fully absorb the intricacies of each track. There is simply so much going on that in a sense it is impossible to fully absorb where the song is going until it is heard in its entirety.
Yet underneath it all is a real gem of an album that is as rewarding as it is pleasing to the ear, it is something to be discovered not to redefine the charts with. People will discover the album on their own terms and define it as such, those who do are in for one hell of a ride that is as rhythmic and challenging as it is melodic and rewarding.
