Isotope 217 probably don't want to be lumped in with the revered Chicago post-rock scene. They most likely want to be their own band with their own sound. You can see why they might feel that way. On the other hand, they live in Chicago. They're not exactly jazz, though, and they're anything but the definition of "post-rock." (That award would go to me, for the work I did with my band Knopfler in 1971.) However, this five- piece boasts members from a slew of seminal post-rock bands. In addition, they have a highly intellectual jazz approach, experimental tendencies, and they're on Thrill Jockey. For God's sake, the album was even recorded by John McEntire and Bundy K. Brown! So, sorry to slap a label on ya, guys, but you're post-rock.
Here's the exception, though: whereas someone like Sam Prekop might use shimmering and chiming guitars mixing Bacharach chords with shuffling jazz rhythms throughout an album, each Isotope 217 song is completely unpredictable. Totally. I mean, alright-- I know going into it that it's gonna be, at the very least, vaguely jazz- related. But that's it. It's a great thing. So, here-- let me spoil the record for you by detailing my personal take on each of the songs. Whaddaya say, eh? This'll be fun.
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"LUH" (9:41) Bah-da-da! Damn, that organ's definitely doing its own thing. Well, wait... that bass is kind of doing its own thing, too. Hey, listen-- that guitar almost doesn't even hear the other instruments. Those drums sound like they're trying to soundtrack Keith Moon's death. Very early '70s Miles Davis. Sounds like the same approach as Dark Magus or Live/Evil-- spontaneous, cacophonous, and held together like two shaky hands in a nervous man's prayer. ...And then, a low rumble and an occasional random sequence of notes from a horn. Then the rumble fades, and the song rebuilds, ending itself like a remix of its first two minutes.
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"Audio Champion" (3:56) Awww yeah, dude. I love this song. I said once that people will sample old Squarepusher records for rap albums in 2015, but I almost think stuff like this will be more popular. This is the most bizarre catchy melody in history. I've never heard anything so like jazz, and yet so like pop, and yet so like laidback rap... Oh. I'm afraid I've said too much. Or too little. What is this, Rocket Fuel?!
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"New Beyond" (6:14) A muted... tuba of some kind? This song sounds pretty ominous. Subtle, menacing crescendos, "You Belong to the City"- style production on the drums, a very dirty bass sound, various keyboard tones buried in the mix... It sounds like final dungeon music in an avant-garde Playstation game. Hey, what the fuck do I know? I don't exactly qualify for the MacArthur Fellowship Award.
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"Rest for the Wicked" (2:15) Now, if you're like me, you want so badly for this song to be related in some way to Judas Priest. Not that I'm terribly interested in Rob Mazurek's interpretation of Hell Bent for Leather (though I wouldn't mind hearing his take on "Turbo Lover"), but hey, it's Judas Priest. Anyway, this song is short. It kind of blends right in with the next song. A nice listen, though, even it if does stand as the only truly forgettable track on the record. I like the fade-out at the end.
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"Looking After Life on Mars" (8:04) If you've been waiting to hear Isotope 217 break into a cross between Miles Davis' Sorcerer and the Heroic Doses' debut, here are eight minutes of it! This is actually one of the great tracks on Utonian Automatic. It starts out completely structured and out- of- control upbeat. The horns are all over the place, blaring out one of those trademark Isotope backwards- sounding melodies, and the guitar riff, while as basic as an Apple IIc text adventure, is so effectively penetrating that I feel like I'm watching scrambled porn. (Um...) Underneath this chunky groove lies some of the most complex percussion this side of Amon Tobin's "Piranha Breaks." The drumming is, simply put, live drum-n-bass. That guy's amazing. This track, in particular, makes me think of Coke. And not just because I'm trying to kick the habit-- I'm not. I mean... I don't. Which is not to say... but I mean...
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"Solaris" (6:11) When I'm back in my old 'hood (Hopkins, Minnesota), cruisin' down Main Street in my convertible Geo Metro, rollin' up to the Burger King drive-thru, yo, check it out, it's real. 'Cause, bitch, I'm a playa-- big balla. Actually, I'm just some white guy who thinks I'm a big balla. In a spaghetti western. This is my soundtrack.
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"Real MC's" (7:18) Definitely the album's highlight. Why they put it at the end, I'll never know. Actually, I think I do know. This song is the dream you forgot you had, that sweet slumber during sickness, floating in a suburban backyard pool on a late August afternoon, or the last breath of your life. It's the encapsulation of peace. It's so raw, I just have to cry. It's like onions, only I'd like it on a burger. A perfect track to bring the album to a close-- it's like falling onto your bed after a 12-hour marathon. And I'm not talking about "The Real World," fool.
Alright, maybe you have an idea of what this album can do for you. If you liked Isotope's last record, The Unstable Molecule, I might just suffice to say that this one's better.
