Simon Pott, aka Isvisible Isinvisible, works in the studio as if he’s a mad scientist. Twisting knobs and connecting circuital boxes with wires, Pott works a kind of musical magic in the realm of modular synthesizers. What looks like madness to the uninitiated, is really sort of a controlled chaos of compositional majesty. If you hit up Isvisible Isinvisible’s past catalog you’d see a running collection of albums filled with these controlled chaos sessions, and within the blips, bleeps, and buzzing menagerie is a kind of melancholy. Ghosts of Furness Vale, and in-particular Ghosts of New Mills, have the electronic heart beat of the best sci fi tales and dystopian visions, but they carry with them an underlying feel of looking back. Staring back at ones own past and taking stock of a childhood of adventures and mystery.
indexOf (vol.1) is not another concept album, so to speak. It’s a collection of bits and pieces that didn’t quite fit into the scheme of past albums, though most definitely not odds and sods either. Not quite fitting in with past releases, these songs have formed their own mood themselves. Together, these lost souls create a darker vibe. More menacing and mysterious, indexOf (vol.1) is engaging and very uniquely its own musical journey.
If you’re familiar with the musical world of Isvisible Isinvisible, then this collection won’t come as a surprise. Despite the mad scientist-y vibe, most of Simon Pott’s work has a slinky groove to it. A bit of a deliberate sway, as if one is slightly inebriated walking home some dark path to a cabin in the woods. “These Liquids” has the sway to it. A little glimmer in its eye, and a cheeky grin across its face, “These Liquids” opens the door to another dimension. “The Dentist” sounds like a particle generator getting ready to explode before a heavy synth note stomps out a utilitarian rhythm. It’s quite the menacing thing, really. “The Broadcast” sounds like signals from deep space. Exchanges from a haunted space station; spirits left to roam the corridors looking for some sort of salvation in a Godless tomb. “Law of the Seven” has a wonky funk vibe to it. Imagine Parliament fronted by H.A.L. instead of George Clinton.
Commence robotic boogie.
Throughout indexOf (vol.1) Simon Pott takes us on a journey through his land of misfit songs. Tracks that didn’t quite fit in the scheme of past albums, but were never throwaways. They have found a home right here. 8 tracks of whack. From robo grooves to space madness, the vibe is as engaging and unique as proper albums from Isvisible Isinvisible. Simon Pott lets his outcasts shine here.
An album of outcasts, now that’s something I can get behind.
7.9 out of 10
Complex Distractions 