THESTRINGANDRETURN

To listen to Invisible City is to enter a different world — specifically, one where spacing between words is discouraged and everything functions at a slower speed. Adjusting to the group’s snailcore sound takes time, but eventually the charm of its sleepy songs becomes apparent. The springiest tune, “Lemon Slice,” is powered by a bouncy guitar part that brings to mind a sound effect to accompany a video-game character’s jumps, while the most leisurely track, “Everypenny,” unveils melodic elements before starting to crawl late in the proceedings and bowing out at the seven-minute mark. The vocals throughout the album are intentionally faint, and although most of the percussion parts are equally unobtrusive, at times the guitar lines’ sparseness magnifies the drums’ intensity. On “Picture Ends,” the beat breaks into a march, setting a brisk pace while the guitars and vocals stay lazily behind. With several of its tunes nearing progressive-rock length, Invisible City requires both patience and attention to subtle detail. However, once listeners commit to Thestringandreturn’s strangely relaxing world, they’ll probably be convinced to return frequently.