The one thing I"ve always liked about Isis is their uncanny ability to push their music"s sound to it"s limits and beyond. I find it impressive, however, that they pushed as far as they did. Bringing in such renounced artists together to remix and reinterpret their songs, Isis"
Oceanic: Remixes & Reinterpretations, only sounds like a bunch of ludicrous. With such artists as Mike Patton, Tim Hecker, Ayal Naor, JK Broadrick, and more, Isis receive an extended arm to assist them in making their sound more dense, atmospheric, and more original then before. The album contains 13 tracks on two CDs that are all remixes of songs from their sophomore album
Oceanic.
Disc 1
The first track on the first disc is
Weight (Fennesz Remix), which is more ore less an ambient track full of soft atmospheric synths and clavs. The song is not impressive, and is a poor opener over all for disc 1 of this package. The first
real track on the album is
False Light (Carry Edit) (Ayal Naor Remix). the song begins with soft, thick ambiance followed by a slow drum beat. The song then bursts into dense guitar and bass riffs followed by the vocals. The track is very powerful, like the original song, but it has a more ambient flavor throughout the auras of crushing sound waves. The song then slows down to a more groove sound as female vocals take over the dominant sound.
Hym (Thomas K"ner Remix) is basically another ambient track. But this one has a more powerful atmospheric sound then the first track on disc 1 did. The track has some interesting quirks hidden within it"s dense white noise and helicopter vibes.
The Other (James Plotkin Remix), starts with a very soft and innocent sound, at least until the vocals break through the thick layers of soothing ambiance. The song keeps it"s soothing sound up until about half way through the song, when drums start to play a part. The song slowly progresses as bass is later added along with some guitar backdrop. Although not very dynamic, the song flows well and is definitely a must listen on this CD.
Carry (Tim Hecker Remix) (First Version) begins with some thick guitar work and rough guitar skills before giving into the scratchy ambiance and keyboards at the half way mark. The song has a nice flow, though is not quite as good as version two on disc 2.
Maritime (Teledubgnosis Remix) also starts off with quiet ambiance, before bass grooves take over the songs atmosphere. Once the drums kick in the ambiance disappears and eventually grows into a dense techno feel. Although a tad off color for Isis, the song is one of the best all instrumental tracks on disc 1.
Maritime (Mike Patton Remix) is the shortest track on the CD. The track sounds like it was taken right off Mr. Bungles'
Disco Volante, with it"s childish innocence and quirky loops and noises and short bursts of drums and bass. The song then goes into a conga like ritual sound for a few seconds, leaving bongo grooves in the track until it fades. Definitely a must hear in order to be believed.
Disc 2
The Beginning And The End (Venetian Snares Remix) has some very groovy opening guitar and bass riffs. The song then goes into something you"d think you"d hear in an arcade room, at least until the monster-like vocals kick in, which are looped and twisted so much it"s hard to understand anything. The song also features the same female voice from track 2 of disc 1. Probably the most upbeat and groovy song on the album, the only lacking quality of the song is teh trademark dense atmosphere of Isis.
Carry (Tim Hecker Remix) (Second Version) begins similiar to verson one, but has a much more lighter quality to it. The song is very smooth,k and contains some guitar back drop around the middle of the song. The better of the two Carry tracks.
False Light (The Oktopus Remix) is another groovy song that contains all the ups of the first False Light and the first track on disc 2. Very dense in atmosphere and swinging with a dark groove gives this song the medal as the best track in this package over all.
If the last track isn"t the best, then the twisted
Carry: Like I Will Love Her Forever? (***in Die!!!) (DJ Speedboat Remix) is. Starting with a creepy "Humpty Dumpty" intro sung by little girls, and topped with some twisted riffs and manipulated harsh vocals, the song immediatly grabs the listeners attention. It then calms down and the female voice returns to aid in the soothing melody. the calm flow of the song is randomly interupted throughout by loud, constant howls that are so warped in the remix they can not be understood. The song then gains a more dynamic sound as the guitars return and the vocals become more consistant.
From: Sinking, To: Drowning (Destructo Swarmbots Remix) is another long, simple ambient track that has teh twist of sounding like an underwater vessel moving through the water. ALthough not ver dynamic, the track still has presence.
The chaos finally ends with the whopping 14:54 epic
Hym (JK Broadrick Remix). The song is packed with heavy riffs and beautiful, holy-like chanting. The riffs change a lot, but are the best proof of Isis" sheer power on this album package. The song eventually calms down and finally fades. Overall, disc 2 is much better then disc 1, and is the recommended first choice of listen with this package.
Pros
-- Great prodution
-- A very unique and original idea
-- It"s Isis with a bit of a more ambient and techno taste
-- A great addition to your Isis collection
Cons
-- A lot of boring ambient tracks
-- Can both soothe you to sleep and scare you awake
-- It"s Isis with a bit of a more ambient and techno taste
-- Not true Isis
Track Listing
Disc 1:
1. Weight (Fennesz Remix) (2.5/5)
2. False Light (Carry Edit) (Ayal Naor Remix) (4/5)
3. Hym (Thomas K"ner Remix) (2.5/5)
4. The Other (James Plotkin Remix) (4/5)
5. Carry (Tim Hecker Remix) (First Version) (3.5/5)
6. Maritime (Teledubgnosis Remix) (3/5)
7. Maritime (Mike Patton Remix) (4.5/5)
Disc 2:
1. The Beginning And The End (Venetian Snares Remix) (4.5/5)
2. Carry (Tim Hecker Remix) (Second Version) (4/5)
3. False Light (The Oktopus Remix) (5/5)
4. Carry: Like I Will Love Her Forever? (***in Die!!!) (DJ Speedboat Remix) (5/5)
5. From: Sinking, To: Drowning (Destructo Swarmbots Remix) (3/5)
6. Hym (JK Broadrick Remix) (4.5/5)
