The Invisible: Rispah – review

If the Invisible's second album seems a bit light on the sprightly space-pop jams that cropped up on their debut, then there's a good reason for that: lead singer Dave Okumu describes this record as a "love letter to grief" following the death of his mother. In fact, the album is largely inspired by the traditional spirituals sung at her funeral, some of which are sampled on here. The band are technically gifted – Leo Taylor's drumming recalling Afrobeat, jazz and electronica – and at times the results can be mesmerising, as on Wings, which unfurls gracefully. Radiohead are the band's obvious peers, and maybe this is something the Invisible could do with signposting less obviously – on occasion you wonder if Rispah is actually the work of the Oxford band. For the most part, though, the Invisible are to be found exploring more interesting areas – working up a noise they can justifiably call their own.