Tapped On The Shoulder By The Invisible Hand

 

Here’s another record that escaped my attention – but a little differently than most of the others. Funny/Not Funny Records sent me a copy of the Invisible Hand’s Aja EP last year, and I actually listened to it. A lot!

The Virginia are fidgety folk, playing within the garage format, lacing through some powerpop, 60s paisley psych, and some emotive riffs and wah’s so much that it’s hard to sit still yourself. Yet somehow I negated to give it the lip service it deserved. So here it is.

There are some thumping rock moments like ‘Psychic Cat’ – if anyone can tell me why this reminds me of Titus Andronicus, please help out, I can’t figure out why, it sounds nothing like them but that reference ALWAYS jumps in my head! – but it’s the psych moments with the organ and strings on ‘Home At Last’ (I thought it was going all ‘Baba O’Reilly’ there for a time, these painkillers are doing their duty) and the “earnestness” of ‘Bleach Bums’ that are the real home runs.

Invisible Hand are the real deal. Not really interested in the stadiums, but capable of it, if only the powers that be knew what was good for them. Seriously, these guys need to be much bigger. STAT.

 

Aja is still available here. It’s a great little record, I highly recommend it.

Invisible Hand – Psychic Cat
Invisible Hand – Eating Out