Invisible Magnetic

The New Sound of Numbers bring a jolt of excitement to the current scene of indie and experimental pop. Their first album, 2006’s Liberty Seeds, had just the right amount of skronk, duct tape, and odd angles and percussive treats to make an utterly captivating debut. After seven years, Invisible Magnetic suddenly appears, and voila!—central figure Hannah Jones continues working her magic as if she'd never stopped. The Tom Tom Club, The Slits, and The Raincoats are all clear touchstones, yet the presence of electronics and flourishes of guitar drones and haze-wrapped psychedelia merge with those bands’ tribal lineage for a sound that's undeniably fresh. Jones is a percussionist and visual artist; you can perceive that from the well-articulated layers of these songs, which sport recorders, horns, and crystalline shakers rattling atop rubbery, singular bass notes. Each tune here is special, but try the brawny title track, “Turn Around” (with its intertwining vocals and scrappy guitars), or the guitar-slashing “New Dance” just to get warmed up. Bravo.