Album Review: Nick D'Virgilio - Invisible

Nick D'Virgilio has had an interesting career, going from being the drummer in Spock's Beard to their lead singer, then heading off to Cirque Du Solei, before finding himself behind the drums for Big Big Train. Some of the moves were major steps forward, and others saw him being pushed back in the process of being an artist, which might explain why the time is right now for him to make a solo record. Once you become a creative artist, it can be hard to turn that part of yourself off and just play a smaller role again. And so we find ourselves with "Invisible", an album telling the story of an unhappy character who goes through life unnoticed. Is the better joke that he's telling the story of a drummer's life, or a bassist's?

The album gets off to a slow start, with both a two minute orchestral prelude, and a four minute sleepy ballad trying to set up the story and the themes. Exposition is one thing, but spending the first six minutes of a record with no energy is not a way of pulling the listener in. And with the album lasting over an hour, the prospect of sixty more minutes after that beginning is not all that appealing. It's an unforced error that definitely has an effect.

Things get a lot better once "Turn Your Life Around" starts. The riff plays in a syncopated manner I assume is an odd time signature, which establishes an interesting groove. The hits of strings add both drama and flair, and Nick's singing is strong and melodic. It's a solid modern prog rock song that wouldn't be out of place from his old band leader Neal Morse (it actually has some passing similarity to "The Truth Will Set You Free" by him).

Nick doesn't stay in that lane, though. "I'm Gone" tries out funk, which doesn't work out all so well, and then "Money (That's What I Want)" drags though five minutes of slow blues. It becomes clear at that point that Nick's goal for this record does not mesh with making the record entertaining for us. He wants to sketch out a character and his story, using the musical backdrops to set moods and paint pictures. That's fine, but he does so at the expense of the songs, which are weak all-around. There are many melodies that stick, or musical passages that hit home. It's a very subdued, morose album for long stretches. Practically none of these songs, taken out of the context of the record, would be enjoyable songs. They only exist as chapters of a story that isn't all that interesting.

Asking the audience to sit through 69 minutes of music that lacks energy is a tall order. My attention flagged well before reashing the end of the record. Conceptual pieces have to still work as regular albums, and this one doesn't do that. There might be one or two songs worth hearing again, but the majority of this album is simply forgettable material that overstays its welcome and doesn't bring a gift. And that's without getting into the philosophical question of why a concept album features long instrumental passages and copious solos. Those don't tell a story, so they seem superfluous, but it's not worth thinking about here.

"Invisible" will end up being just that. It's not interesting enough to remember.