ISIS

Oceanic

(Ipecac)

***On their second full-length, Oceanic, Isis stretch out once again into post-rock, covering multiple layers of conflicted emotions in one beautifully dense disc. In this Melvins/Men of Porn-meets-Sonic Youth trip through distortion pedals, feedback, and sound effects, the Boston collective moves instrumental mountains, evoking loud, sludgy thunderstorms (undercut by muffled human screams) between shifts to sparser, spacier melodies. As gut-pounding rhythms grind deeper on controlled repeat, small segments build and sonically fan further and further out, slowly gaining momentum as heavy coatings of drums and guitar intensify the dark overtones. The bulkier moments complement the album's dips into softer dynamics: The forlorn guitar wailings that ring true to the album title, when layered over light drumbeats, unclench the tight fists these songs wear at times. If you've been saving the psychedelics for music that expands like a desert landscape across your brain, Oceanic is a great reason to give your dealer a call. JENNIFER MAERZ

Isis perform at Graceland on Sun Oct 6 w/Dalek, Thrones, and Akimbo.

PONY CLUB

Home Truths

(Setanta)

*** I imagine myself someday sitting in a home for the aged rocker, built by prosperous and talented young Seattle musicians who, like the rest of the world, got sick and tired of all us old geezers shaking our heads (tremors) and grumbling wearily (delusions) while trying to figure out just what fucking decade it is (Alzheimer's). I saw the century click from 1999 to 2000, and the '70s were embraced with abandon. Now that it's more than halfway through 2002 we've cycled through the early '80s, and just the other day I realized I like a new local band that sounds, most of the time, like ELP and Yes (two relics I can't find it in my guts to like at all). This is a gassy way of saying the Pony Club's album Home Truths sounds a little like Pet Shop Boys and Erasure--with Brian Wilson harmonies and a smidge of early Spiritualized mixed in--except without the drugs. But that's not where their likenesses stop--there's a hint of the Delgados on "Single," and Poseur will kick themselves for not writing "The Thing about Men." So I like Home Truths, I don't know what continent I'm on (incontinence?) or whether it's last weekend, last year, or last century, and I've name-checked a few bands I don't particularly care for in the process of this recommendation. Thank you, and good night Irene. KATHLEEN WILSON

THE BLOW

Bonus Album

(K Records)

*** Oh, the shield around the K--the insignia that lent itself so sloppily in Sharpie pen to my adolescent forearm--the ultimate symbol of pop perfection. As a teen, K Records was my religion--its tomes the pages of my pubescent bible. In this town, however, K devotion comes with something of a price, a stigma that pushed me away from my almighty Godhead. In recent years my affection has thus come with some slight trepidation--but considering its string of recent, undeniable achievements, I again find myself at the private altar of K. Khaela Maricich's the Blow help to unify the ranks of K's current powerhouse mafia (including the likes of the Microphones, Little Wings, Mirah, Dennis Driscoll, and even lord Calvin himself), as evidenced in the "audio hors d'oeuvre" that is the Bonus Album EP--a snack to satiate fans desperately awaiting the completion of her lushly orchestrated pop opera Blue Sky vs. Night Sky. A collection of sparsely populated favorites and odds and ends dominated by Maricich's familiar dry delivery, Bonus Album collects the Post-it note reminders tagging the Blow's musical diary into a cohesive, deceptively addictive array of beautifully fragmented half-thoughts. Though never truly capturing the je ne sais quoi of the Blow's blissfully capricious live performances, it's nice to finally have a solid record of these works--tender morsels that prompt this, my formal thanks to Ms. Maricich for her gracious part in returning me to the creed of K. ZAC PENNINGTON

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Everybody's Boppin'--Early Northwest Rockers and Instrumentals V.1

(Norton)

***

Shake Um up Rock--Early Northwest Rockers and Instrumentals V.2

(Norton)

***

Chicken Session--Early Northwest Rockers and Instrumentals V.3

(Norton)

*** SHIT... where in the hell is alla this coming from? I mean, I know after, like, 1955 every fucker and his brother put out at least ONE rare 45 ("Yep, we only pressed four for radio play")... but seriously, Miriam... Billy... NICE WORK! At this point the only thing y'all ain't found up here is Bigfoot!! This is one HOT load of the GO GO GO to turn ON and turn OUT! All three ENRI volumes are solid rockin', start to finish, packed DEEP with slap-backed "Hick-rock-a-billied" vocal tunes and "Link Wray-i-fried"-flavored instrumentals, all with a dollop of ragged R&B wallop on top! Yum. For the... uh, record, I recommend gettin' 'em all, a "set" as it are... since there ain't no chronology and they kinda go together as a package. A warning, too: As together these three separate discs count for about three full hours, you might wanna wear two pair of socks so's not to blister yer tender feets dancin' to these. MIKE NIPPER

**** Sydney *** Jack ** Vaughn * Will