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Isis - Wavering Radiant

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 June 2 2009 at 09:55:13 PM



The most radical album of the year comes not from Sunn, or Aluk Todolo, or Krallice – or whatever Hospital Records and Volcanic Tongue are rubbing their collective jurnts to – but from lil’ ol’ Isis. In an empowering move of “extremism,” Aaron Turner & Co. manages to flagrantly appropriate the latest guise of impotent Norsemen Enslaved, as well as the wealth of milquetoast music proper of the past 40 years. A bettin’ man likely would have put the farm up after Oceanic; the seeds of transformation from bash/crash wreak & roll to the hyperbolic arabesques of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway were all but self-evident. Of course Isis has predictably enjoyed modest critical success as they comply overtly with the unwritten condition of continuing to churn out wholly inoffensive and artistically bankrupt schlock for tousle-headed penbangers and the fitted-tee wearin’ brood.

The tunes? Oh, they couldn’t come from more of an earnest young man… Turner, an artiste-cum-entrepreneur with a penchant for donning NED merchandise, even recently published an exchange on his blog between himself and a disappointed fan bemoaning a lackluster performance one of his other bands evidently mailed in. The kicker here is the guy accuses Turner of just working a job on stage after he’d ridden “nine hours in a filthy Polish train” to attend. Turner, nonplussed, simply says his band’s music is “about feeling,” and he apologizes for the guy not receiving any “special feeling” from the performance! While I’d like to kick around a theory I have about disgruntled fan’s lack of “feeling reception,” I can’t seem to get past the notion that for this guy to be upset means he must’ve – at some fucking point – felt something via The House of Turner. Jaw, meet filthy Polish train floor.

And I still wasn’t prepared for it. Wavering Radiant provided the most potent nothing statement I’ve ever sat through. Harnessing the goals and aspirations of a teen content with deep-throating the Graffix 24/7 and zipping through a few seasons of Family Guy is an interesting motherfucking way of making a record. And it’s as provocative and nihilistic than Black Metal could ever hope to be. To wit: The dreaded Post-Rock beats abound; anytime I hear quick hi-hat work and chorus pedals couple, I’m scrounging for an air-sickness bag. Competing and contrasting halcyon/harsh vox add to the upset. By the time you’re through five of the 10 minutes of “Threshold of Transformation” you’re wondering aloud which Jessica Biel summer frolic flick the shit is going to soundtrack. At least I am well aware of the “feelings” I get from watching Biel. The Polish kid’s gonna have to eat his weight in MDMA to vibe on Wavering Radiant. But, don’t take my word for it; there’s always Pitchfork…

[Stewart Voegtlin]

Isis
Wavering Radiant
2009
Ipecac
type: reviews    keywords: heavy, lhp027, no shit,   

Comments (15)

  • 3 comments
    Dick Jones
    8:04 PM on Jun 03, 2009 // reply »
    I'm just gonna throw this out there...if you seriously dislike Isis (or any other pointless hip, flavor of the week act for that matter) this much and have enough time on your hands to think about it to the point where you feel the need to unfurl a banal, meandering three paragraphs about it...take a bike ride or pump some iron or something.


  • 3 comments
    Dick Jones
    8:04 PM on Jun 03, 2009 // reply »
    I'm just gonna throw this out there...if you seriously dislike Isis (or any other pointless hip, flavor of the week act for that matter) this much and have enough time on your hands to think about it to the point where you feel the need to unfurl a banal, meandering three paragraphs about it...take a bike ride or pump some iron or something.


  • 3 comments
    Dick Jones
    8:04 PM on Jun 03, 2009 // reply »
    ...and I'm gonna post it twice!
  • 64 comments
    neu konservatiw
    8:22 PM on Jun 03, 2009 // reply »
    Speaking of Aaron Turner, Hydrahead now has a Khanate "Clean Hands Go Foul Engraved Hunting Knife" up for pre-order on the Hydrahead site. Let me repeat that. A Khanate "Clean Hands Go Foul Engraved Hunting Knife" is available for pre-order.
    I think I will hold out for the Xasthur "All Reflections Drained Silkscreened Strap-On Dildo" that should be coming next.
    I'm going to go pump some iron while I'm waiting...
  • 374 comments
    VOEGTLIN
    5:43 AM on Jun 04, 2009 // reply »
    Ha ha ha...!
  • 6 comments
    kevin
    9:48 PM on Jun 04, 2009 // reply »
    I am loving this review. Sometimes the best reviews are the ones that adequately convince you to stay away from music--gives me more time to pump iron, ride a bike, post a flattering compliment on a website, or even write a review of my own (all while listening to the music I actually like).
  • 1 comment
    Joe
    8:57 AM on Jun 05, 2009 // reply »
    ill have summore banal meandering if you muthafukkin pleez
  • 374 comments
    VOEGTLIN
    10:33 AM on Jun 05, 2009 // reply »
    Right on, Joe. Just as soon as I finish getting slammed by some muscle-bound bike-riding chick wearing a Xasthur strap-on dildo (ed ultra limited).
  • 23 comments
    trummer
    10:08 AM on Jun 07, 2009 // reply »
    i laughed.
    i'm surprised stew that you wasted what like 78 minutes of your life listening to this though.
    i hope you were inebriated.
  • 6 comments
    mokura
    4:10 PM on Jun 08, 2009 // reply »
    well, i took a listen to something off stonerrock from this album and shut it off after about a verse or so. i'm impressed you finished a listen of an isis album, albeit a recent one.
  • 374 comments
    VOEGTLIN
    5:09 AM on Jun 09, 2009 // reply »
    Curiosity. That's all I can chalk it up to. That and the Jessica Biel thing. Never thought about her before, but she's a swell distraction in the midst of something like Isis.

    I liked them better when they wanted to be Godflesh.
  • 7 comments
    MC Hammer Smashed
    11:00 PM on Jun 24, 2009 // reply »
    Thank god Jay Randall left when he did.
  • 2 comments
    Tal
    10:23 AM on Aug 10, 2009 // reply »
    Late to this, but right on Stew! This is a Tool album in a tool's clothing.
  • 6 comments
    Bob
    3:47 PM on Mar 12, 2010 // reply »
    You're one seriously sad sack of shit. I'd wager you went in to this with the review already written.
  • 1 comment
    VOEGTLIN
    4:54 PM on Mar 12, 2010 // reply »
    Bobby,

    Yes, I have several "templates" waiting on the hard-drive to have the names, "Isis," "Wolves in the Throne Room," "Krallice" et al, plugged into them. You win.
 

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