Archive for June 16th, 2008:
the interview show: Isis
Isis has been described as “the thinking man’s metal band.” Others say the band has a Tool-lite, post-metal sound. This is a pretty easy comparison—since the band are friends with Tool— and I am not sure if I would agree. However, Isis does have a sound that is hard to pin down, and their music easily defies genre conventions. The band also draws praise because it draws from literary influences like Don Quixote and philosopher Jeremy Bentham.
When I asked Clifford Meyer and Aaron Harris from the band how something in their recent life did not live up to their expectations—alluding to Quixote—both of them deftly sidestepped any personal answers and talked about music. Meyer was disappointed in the Jay-Z American Gangster record. And Harris didn’t feel that Radiohead ’s In Rainbows lived up to the hype. There is just something great thinking about the guys from Isis listening to art rock and hip hop. (Note, more true to expectations, Meyer was reading the dark 90s indie comic book The Maxx.)
Isis is celebrating 10 years in the game. Not many post-metal bands make it that far, and both of the guys were happy to share pieces of their journey.
Next week, we return with Swedish indie-electronic act Lo-Fi-Fnk!
Surrender
I stumbled upon the 1980 film, “Up The Academy” Mad Magazine’s one and only venture into making movies on late night tv. Apart from being so bad it’s good, It featured this Cheap Trick song which I had forgotten about.
“Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s okay, they just seem a little weeeeeird”
