Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Q Magazine
    Oct 12, 2012
    60
    The album's slow, soporific pace can mean it sounds similar from song to song, but Okumu's voice pivots everything. [Jul 2012, p.104]
  2. Aug 23, 2012
    70
    This cohesive collection is an eerie and nuanced collection that will reward the listener with multiple listens.
  3. Jul 16, 2012
    80
    Rispah strikes as a truly unique entry in the band's catalogue: rarely is such close-quarters confession expressed in such musically fitting, yet simultaneously innovative terms.
  4. Uncut
    Jul 5, 2012
    70
    The melodies drift rather aimlessly but the wonderfully groggy textures will stay with you like the best kind of sonic Valium. [Aug 2012, p.75]
  5. Jun 29, 2012
    90
    Irrespective of genre or decade, 'Rispah' is an astonishing tsunami of emotion which above all, makes you feel alive.
  6. Mojo
    Jun 26, 2012
    80
    When the storm clouds on final cut Protection finally part,Okumu riffing like The Edge mainlining steroids, it completes as astonishing redemptive arc brighter than any rainbow. [Jul 2012, p.92]
  7. Jun 26, 2012
    80
    Rispah is brilliant enough for the listening public to find it naturally, in their own time.
  8. Jun 26, 2012
    70
    Playful and emotional if a touch polite, it's marked by moments of genuine greatness.
  9. Jun 26, 2012
    80
    Despite its heavy subject matter, Rispah remains an eminently listenable release; it's proof of that somewhat clichéd adage that pain fuels great art.
  10. Jun 26, 2012
    60
    The Invisible are to be found exploring more interesting areas--working up a noise they can justifiably call their own.
  11. Jun 26, 2012
    90
    Rispah is a brilliantly sustained meditation that offers a full, enriching experience.
  12. 70
    Adventurous, forward-looking and luxurious, all at the same time.
User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 3 more ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Jul 7, 2013
    8
    London band and industry stalwarts likely had something different planned out for the followup to their Mercury-nominated self-titled 2009London band and industry stalwarts likely had something different planned out for the followup to their Mercury-nominated self-titled 2009 debut, but as it always does, life interfered. During the recording process, singer/guitarist Dave Okumu's mother passed away, and the Kenyan lamentations that women sang during the funeral inform much of the mood here melancholy after the instrumental "A Particle of Love", joyous as the album's outro during "Protection." This is a much more introspective and haunted effort, seamlessly sequenced, and smoldering with the band's incredibly tight chemistry. The more upbeat songs from the debut are missed, but they are still capable of keeping true to their sound while pushing things forward. A sensational album that definitely needs to be more widely heard. Full Review »