Helado Negro

This is the third album from Helado Negro (aka Florida-raised Roberto Carlos Lange). In between Helado releases, Lange produces beats under the moniker Epstein, has collaborated with Julianna Barwick (as OMBRE) and produced for Prefuse 73. The hard work is clearly paying off, as this new release sees Helado Negro ("Black Ice Cream," in Spanish) return with tighter songwriting, pushing into a glitchier, more synth-heavy vein. Echoes of early Peter Gabriel in Lange's vocals — a thread that can be heard running through several artists of late — blended with layered Latin percussion are brought together by a contemporary electronic pop sound not a million miles away from Miike Snow or Bear in Heaven. (Lange has worked with the latter in the past.) The more immediate tracks, such as excellent single "Dance Ghost," are balanced with more complex, less catchy and pleasingly awkward growers like "Lentamente." Invisible Life is a great electronic pop record that sees Lange meld the experimental and pop threads of his music seamlessly.