The Invisible

"London Girl"

BY Cam LindsayPublished Feb 12, 2009

Now that TV On the Radio are bona fide superstars, owning numerous year-end album accolades and magazine cover honours, I smell their influence beginning to pervade the fabric of music, just like in 1996 when Radiohead proved they were popular music's most innovative/influential act, spawning a zillion copyists, from Travis to Coldplay to Muse and beyond.

Of course, TV On the Radio's sound is arguably harder to mimic but according to the UK press, the "British TV On the Radio" have officially been discovered. Hailing from London (where else?), the Invisible have a striking, uncanny resemblance to the Brooklynites. Formed by Dave Okumu, originally as a solo project, Tom Herbert and Leo Taylor were eventually added and from there they quickly blossomed into a full-on band. Interesting note: the three of them have spent time in such acts as Bugz In the Attic, Zongamin, Gramme, Acoustic Ladyland and Polar Bear.

Formerly BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe's "Hottest Record In the World," single "London Girl" has that same funk swagger as "Golden Age," though with a touch of "Another One Bites the Dust" instead of "Wanna Be Startin' Something." It's also a lot smoother and a smidge jazzier, which is perhaps why they call Matthew Herbert's Accidental Records home.

Their forthcoming debut album, produced by Matthew Herbert, is set for release on March 2 overseas. No word on when it will land in North America.

The Invisible "London Girl"

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