Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/14/2008
The second meeting from this left-of-the-dial supergroup --
Fairport Convention founder and all-around guitar genius
Richard Thompson,
avant-garde guitar visionary
Henry Kaiser,
Henry Cow founder and
avant/progressive
noise advocate
Fred Frith, and former
Captain Beefheart percussionist
John French -- is longer, calmer, and a bit easier to digest than their first collaboration,
Live, Love, Larf & Loaf, but it lacks a bit of the playful wit and high spirits that made the previous set so much fun. While there are a handful of obvious jokes on board -- most notably
Thompson's mock operatic
"March of the Cosmetic Surgeons" and
French's
"Now That I Am Dead" (in which a deceased musician discovers death has been a boon for his career) -- there are also a surprising number of
John French's intelligent but unexpectedly conventional-sounding
pop tunes (most notably
"To the Rain" and
"The Evening News"), and the contributions from
Kaiser and
Frith stand out more dramatically as their own work on this album, rather than melding into a collective whole (if
Live, Love, Larf & Loaf didn't always achieve a stylistic unity, it was a good bit more cohesive than this session). But
Thompson does contribute a stunning tune to close out the set, the chilling
"Killing Jar," and the ensemble playing is never less than inspired; even in its lesser moments,
Invisible Means is worth a spin just to hear these supremely gifted musicians bring out the best in each other. By the way, despite the fact this album was originally released by
Windam Hill, there is nothing remotely
new age about
Invisible Means.
~Mark Deming, All Music Guide
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