Posted on: May 17, 2010 Posted by: Aaron_George Comments: 0

The Invisible Eyes – Laugh In The Dark / 2005 Bomp! / 16 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/theinvisibleeyes / http://www.bomp.com / Reviewed 09 December 2005

Psychedelic seems to be the major fuel that drives bands in 2005. Between the Invisible Eyes and The Coffin Lids, there seems to be a single-handed resurrection of the style by Bomp! bands. The Invisible Eyes are more sedate than The Coffin Lids, tending to be more influenced by The Monkees and other purveyors of sixties boy-band pop than acts like the MC5 and The Stooges. Tracks on “Laugh In The Dark” vacillate between sub-one minute bursts of intensity nd longer, three minutes explication of their beliefs as a band. “Don’t Wanna Go” is an example of one of the longer tracks on “Laugh In The Dark”, and is a track that bounces back and forth through two extremes, led forth primarily by its omnipresent synthesizer line.

While each of the tracks on “Laugh In The Dark” will be acceptable to the ears of practically any Clearchannel listeners, there seems to be some structural factor that impedes individuals from getting fully into the band. The slightly-strained vocals of Aubrey may just be the determinant in that equation, as everything that passes through eir lips is on hyper-drive, where the instrumentation present seems to reflect a more thoughtful and controlled environment. Practically the only thing that is missing from the greaser anthem “Luanne” is a set of fingers snapping; this is approximated by the drum-beat on the track, but is no substitute for something that could so easily go into the realm of either “Feed My Frankenstein” or any of the Doors’ hits. Perhaps most groundshaking in its presence has to be the instrumental “Trapezoid Stomp”, a track that gives individuals the opportunity to see the simple brilliance of The Invisible Eyes before the vocals are thrown on.

This means that individuals who may not be able to properly digest Aubrey’s vocal work on this album can be given the possibility to objectively listen to the disc. Showing that complexity is not essential for a successful track, “Monster Blues” shuffles through its two and a half minutes with few distinct chords and vocal differentiation, laughing all the way to the bank. The Invisible Eyes put forth an entire album of hits; while the point must be made that none of these seem to be of the type to easily crossover into mTV, true fans will see this revivalist album as essential. For fans of psychedelic, rockabilly and the earliest days of goth.

Top Tracks: Monster Blues, Trapezoid Stomp

Rating: 5.6/10

[JMcQ]

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