The "Invisible Men" appreciation thread

[Mebert78]

What a song! It's the longest song in OSI history, I believe, and it's certianly a musical rollercoaster ride. This is the kind of song I've been hoping Moore and Matheos would create. It gives me chills, it's atmospheric, it's quiet in parts, loud in parts. It's OSI's epic and possibly their best song yet. Frankly, I wouldn't have complained if this one song were stretched into a full album.

For me, the highlight is the beautiful string patch and Kevin's echoed voice when he says "Under cover of night" and it echoes "night, night, night. night...." Damn, that's good stuff. And the other amazing parts are at 3:25 when the music gets garbled and the whole song changes. And then at 6:50 when the song kicks into another gear and Gavin goes nuts on drums. Oh, shit. That's OSI at its best right there.

I'm scratching my head over the lyrics. Who are the "invisible men"? Ghosts could obviously be invisible men. However, the lyrics say "under the cover of night," so it could be some group of men that go out at night and they are invisible due to the darkness. It seems like they are searching for something or someone. And what's with "heaven making a hole beside the bed" and "the string"? So much craziness.

[liquid]

Yeah. This is definitely the best song written (overall) since 2009 when Blood was let loose upon the world. Just like when they released the Blood sampler I knew that the title track is going to be something special, this felt the same. And oh boy, it delivers in buckets way more than I expected.

I really LOVE this moment:

If all we have is time to cover for
You've got secrets keep your secrets don't we all
I'm trying to shake (he clearly says SAVE, imo) these pictures but I'm losing (it?)
Over bridges under tunnels keep it moving

It ties so well with the music, so haunting and atmospheric. The way he sings "losing" gives me the chills every time.
But how can I pick that part as a standout/favourite when what comes after it is just as brilliant? Seriously, this song has no flaw. Maybe the only flaw is that it's not 4-5 hours long. Shortest 10 minutes in music, for sure.

As for the lyrics, this album is mostly a big mystery for me, excluding the obvious political rants (who KM always does so well). Can't even get my own meaning out of them, but they are still amazing which is something special, when it comes to lyrics- not knowing the author's meaning and not being able to have your own interpretation yet still blow you away? A rare treat (applies to the album as well).
Maybe he is talking about some government agencies? With all the secrets I wouldn't be surprised. But it also sounds so personal too. Or about some guy with mental issues? Fuck!

I feel like a simple-minded brute trying to dissect genius thoughts lol!

[Zero]

It's a brilliant album-closer, definitely. I'm not sure if it quite edges out their cover of 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun' for me as far as OSI long songs go, but it's certainly up there.

As far as favourite moments go, I'd have to listen to the song again to isolate some of them, since the whole song is strong and feels short enough that it's hard to latch onto specific moments, along with its containing a fair bit of repetition. Still, I certainly liked the 'Keep your secrets, don't we all?' line; something about how it progresses from the second-person description to the more personal question at the end makes it very powerful. The section where you have the overlapping vocals is also great, and reminds me of Pink Floyd for some reason.

Another moment of note was when the solo entered near the end. 'Wait, 'A Pleasant Shade of Grey?''

As far as the lyrics go, the invisibility seems to be, as you say, a result of the darkness. The darkness seems to confer a form of anonymity, as opposed to the lights which 'hold' and 'pull.'

And what's with "heaven making a hole beside the bed"

The image that first came to mind in relation to heaven burning a hole beside the bed was that of lightning, in the sense of lightning originating in the heavens and being capable of setting things on fire. If so, then this could have some relation to the album title.

and "the string"?

It might be the reference to 'tapping the tempo' immediately before it, but I seemed to associate the reference to the 'string' with the string on a musical instrument.

In any case, as far as the song on a whole goes, this album seems to have a more-or-less consistent theme throughout, with the cowboys, Indians (who are summoned in the title, too), guards, cameras, and dogs (?); as such, perhaps it would make more sense in the context of the whole? I wonder if the journey of the invisible men here may have some connection with that in 'Indian Curse,' or perhaps the men themselves with those who end 'Big Chief II.' There seems to be a fairly strong focus on conflict over the album, with the cowboys and Indians, the guards with knives in their backs and jailhouse breaks, the 'enemies,' etc. There may be a connection between this and the tone of songs like 'Indian Curse' and 'Wind Won't Howl,' which seem the closest to this song, given that those songs do reference similar themes.

All in all, it might have some sense to have a thread looking at the album's lyrics as a whole, since it seems that an individual song like this one is very much connected to the others thematically.

[skeletor]

Amazing song, love that little keyboard riff at 1:50, remindes me of America the Video - I wish he'd throw in more of those keyboard melodies..

also love the pink floyd-ian echos-ish vocal, esp when they overlap, the short stacatto stuff with the long overlaps, awesomesauce.

[skeletor]

I can't really read too much into the lyrics, Kev has said himself that he kinda does 'stream of consciousness' stuff, then tries to make words out of the mumbles later.

I just take it as nearly every song is about a past relationship gone wrong lol. especially the dreary ones.

Gotta add I fucking love that 'eq sweep' part, too - where it sounds like the whole band is in another room, and slowly comes through - awesomeness

[vivace]

Yea it reminded me of the part in Time from dark side of the moon where it goes:

Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way

but then i listened to that song and thought it sounded nothing alike....

[Warsteiner]

This song is not talking a misterious message to understand, it's "only" an incredible touching description of a certain state of mind, when bad events in life are so overwhelming that you can't find a meaning for the condemnation you're destined for, wondering through days with this heavy weight on the heart.

Nobody can't see or at least really undestand what you're feeling inside, you have to wake up, go to work, talk with other people, do the everyday tasks with your blasted mind all alone, thinking everytime to your problems, finding interest in nothing, losing relationships, becoming an invisible man to everyone.

I'm living bad moments for a while now and first time i listened to this song it made me crying like a baby, it seems Kevin would let me view myself from a third person point of view.
He's really one of the greatest musicians and songwriters, he doesn't use stupid rhetorical set expressions, his said "streams of consciousness" are strong, feeled emotions, often hard to understand but incredibly absorbing.

[arthur42]

Yeah, this song was definitely the highlight of the album, and one of OSI's best.

[pink]

Mar 30, 2012 14:23:17 GMT -5 Zero said:

Another moment of note was when the solo entered near the end. 'Wait, 'A Pleasant Shade of Grey?''

08.06--->

[inhiding]

Hi! I'm new to the forum.

I always thought this song was about, well this:

[sknowbird]

Yes, that makes a lot more sense now! Welcome, btw ;D

Can't wait to hear what's coming next for Kevin musically...

[virtueorvice]

I think this song is a man's prayers and ramblings to God!

It is a relationship between an earthly existence and someone high above...

The Invisible Men are those who keep this mysterious relationship with God.

They think of themselves as agents of God...

Give us a name
So we know where we're starting from

They ask God to guide them!

Floodlights on the rail yard hold you, hold you like
Headlights on the highway pull you, pull you
But no one turns them off
No one turns them off like you do

They are implicating that earthly red lights and barriers exists but no one like God can set them off, allow them to do their secret plans...


Under cover of night
We go up the river side
Show us your hands
As we come again
The invisible men

Show Us Your Hands: Show us your power, O God! We are going again...

If all we have is time to cover for
You've got secrets keep your secrets don't we all
I'm trying to shake these pictures but I'm losing
Over bridges under tunnels keep it moving

They're probably ascribing their secret plans to God asking for their plans to be kept hidden...

Careless causes heaven's gonna
Burn a hole beside my bed
Time moves slow so tap the tempo
Frozen on the string you broke
Houseless haunted voices gonna
Shake the cup beside my bed
Sound move slow so tap the tempo
Stretched out on the string you broke

Psychological turmoil after carrying out their plans they are again asking God for help and reassurance.