Invisible Cities, the fourth effort by Michigan Afro-funksters Nomo, expands on the Tortoise-meets-Fela Kuti approach of their previous work with a much needed element: attitude. There are still the hypnotic layers of homemade percussion and electronics, still the repetitive old-school funk horn lines and hyperactive electric bass throbs. But this time around, Nomo’s Afrobeat minimalism is dirtied with the more congregational approach of Charles Mingus’ work. Horns interrupt each other with screams and squeals, sometimes playing off of each other, sometimes belching sounds with apparent disregard for the other voices. The result is a sound alternatively mesmerizing and chaotic—one with enough punkish free-jazz attitude to keep your head moving as fast as your dancing shoes.
From the start of the album, there’s an aggressive propulsion that was lacking from the band’s earlier studio work. “Bumbo” disintegrates from vintage funk to a thrilling mess of angry overblown saxophones. When the guitar and bass shatter the hypnosis of “Patterns” mid-song with a pounding repetitive figure, it hits like a ton of bricks. “Ma” is built around dissonant guitar clusters caged in by menacing bass clarinet / bari sax figures and descending film-noir trumpet. Throughout, the band draws on claustrophobic darkness as much as it does African sunshine. There’s the ethereal funeral dirge of “Elijah,” the otherworldly electro layers of “Banners On High.”
Invisible Cities is much more than dance music. The sophistication of the arrangements, the instrumental counterpoint, the off-putting distorted electronics, and the soloists’ ability to meld soothing melody and teeth-grinding chaos together make for a sound that’s at least as head-y as it is dance-y. Here, organic and atmospheric elements take equal roles. Precise composition and messy improvisation alternate and blend seamlessly. Grinding dance rhythms and summery horn lines give way to sedate minimalist textures. With Invisible Cities, Nomo has found their own voice . . . and a pretty awesome one at that.
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