Invisible Ballet- Escaping Light

Invisible Ballet is the synthpop side project of Ryan and Rebecca Cosebloom, better known as ethereal trip-hop duo Halou. The two have already established themselves with several albums, so the lackluster moments here can be a little surprising. Rebecca’s vocals on title track “Escaping Light,” for example, sound somewhat flat, as does “Everything I Am.” She sounds like she’s going for that New Wave apathy effect, but her voice is too pretty to pull it off completely so she ends up just sounding bored and uninvolved. “Autumn Earth” has the opposite problem; it’s too bouncy and upbeat, which is fine for the dance floor but doesn’t bear up under quieter conditions. Much better are this album’s softer moments, like “When We Were Young,” which conjures up a wonderfully bittersweet sense of nostalgia, and “Repeat Defeat,” a ballad that highlights Ryan’s beautifully understated arrangements. The best tracks, though, are “Trees For Israel” and “Evening Loop,” both of which set off Rebecca’s soprano perfectly with dark, crunchy trip-hop beats. In other words, this Halou side project’s best songs are those that could’ve been on a Halou album in the first place. The upbeat dance numbers are fun and all, and the Coseblooms’ enthusiasm for the genre is contagious, but their real talent seems to lie in crafting intriguingly dark trip-hop torch songs rather than bouncy retro club hits.

Visit www.invisibleballet.com and www.nilaihah.com for song samples and other information.