-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
ARTIST..: ISON
ALBUM...: Cosmic Drone
GENRE...: Electronic
STYLE...: Shoegaze, Ethereal, Doom Metal, Post Rock, Drone, Ambient, Darkwave
YEAR....: 2015
LABEL...: Not on Label / Self-Released
LANGUAGE: English
COUNTRY.: Sweden
PLACE...: Gothenburg
ENCODER.: LAME 3.100 -V0
BITRATE.: 254 kbps avg
QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo
SOURCE..: CDEP
TRACKS..: 5
SIZE....: 64.16 MB
URL..: http:// http://www.facebook.com/ison444?fref=ts
- TRACKLIST
1 Lost Satellites 3:22
2 Atlas 6:39
3 RedShift 9:14
4 Icosahedron 7:52
5 Travellers 8:01
Total Playtime: 35:08
ISON was formed in 2015 on the outskirts of Gothenburg, Sweden.
ISON is a result of the two music like-minded souls of Daniel -nghede
(Crippled Black Phoenix, Hearts of Black Science) and Heike Langhans
(Draconian, LOR3L3I).
Inspired by Drone, Goth & Shoegaze, combined with a deep fascination for the
astral planes and the universe their music is best known as Cosmic Drone.
Combining punishing guitars and eerie vocals with lush, ambient soundscapes.
The music is crafted deep within the halls of an abandoned underground
powerplant station also known as Cavesounds. With no cellphone reception or
windows to tell if it's day or night, the location is a perfect host for
writing atmospheric music in total isolation to the outside world.
*
- ISON's Cosmic Drone Conveys the Beauty and Terror of Outer Space -
- This gorgeous space-themed EP blends metal and shoegaze to stunning effect.
-
We live in an age of growing uncertainty and fear, to put it mildly. Hatred,
racism, and radical nationalism are on the rise. Religious extremism of all
stripes bleeds the world dry of charity and grace. Our increased sense of
autonomy, buffered by social media echo chambers, has increased our inability
to (want to) understand people on other sides of the sociopolitical spectrum.
Great swaths of people across that spectrum have been neglected and
mistreated for too long. Our leaders claim to revere life but willingly
support policies and actions that harm some of the weakest and most embattled
lives on the planet. Truth no longer matters; instead, our leaders spout
"alternative facts" (i.e., lies) while giving no thought to their corrosive
effect.
What does any of this have to do with the Swedish duo ISON? Formed two years
ago by Heike Langhans (Draconian, LOR3L3I) and Daniel -nghede (Crippled Black
Phoenix, Hearts of Black Science), ISON is not a political band. They sing no
anthems decrying fascism and racism. You'll hear no agitprop in Cosmic
Drone's five songs. Instead, you'll find songs contemplating the vast cosmic
depths and distances, as experienced by lost satellites, space travelers, and
stellar particles while they drift through the universe's blind indifference.
Musically, ISON blends together elements of metal and shoegaze into what's
come to be called "blackgaze." While those genres may seem like they have
nothing in common, their aesthetics both emphasize overwhelming the listener
with massive walls of sound. (Shoegaze may do it a bit more delicately than
metal, but go listen to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless or Ride's Nowhere
again if you disagree with me.)
But unlike some of blackgaze's most preeminent artists, like Deafheaven or
Alcest, ISON's music isn't intense and overwhelming because it's fast and
ferocious. Rather, it's because it proceeds at an inexorable pace full of
both beauty (e.g., Langhans' gorgeous voice) and darkness. "Lost Satellite"
immediately sets this tone as Langhans sings "Drifting onward to nowhere,
invisible/They won't find us out here" amidst doom-laden guitars and eerie
synth atmospheres.
The shimmering guitar notes emanating from "Atlas" 's opening moments may
sound like vintage shoegaze - la Slowdive's Just For a Day. But everything
else about the song-Langhans and -nghede's ghostly vocals, the glacial
rhythms, lyrics like "I'll navigate through the dark I feel in you"-proceeds
at an unstoppable crawl, like starstuff slowly being sucked down into a black
hole's maw.
The EP's finest moment is the nine-minute "RedShift," which starts off slowly
but gains momentum until it's a juggernaut. The song's title references the
astronomical phenomena used to determine the universe's expansion. That,
combined with lyrics about separation and universal dissolution, make for a
sobering listen-but it's nothing short of gripping thanks to the
nigh-operatic heights that Langhans and -nghede reach for. Everything builds
to a Mono-esque climax, with the guitars and drums churning and swinging away
while Langhans cries out "This beautiful destruction/The end of all in
sight/To find a new beginning/We will destroy the light."
If Cosmic Drone has one weakness, it's the duo's decision to incorporate
space-related samples into their songs (e.g., the Carl Sagan snippets on
"Travelers"). I understand why the duo added them; they emphasize the songs'
space-related themes. But they're unnecessary and obligatory. Sagan's speech
about how we're all "the product of a grand evolutionary sequence" adds
nothing to "Travellers," which closes out Cosmic Drone in stunning fashion.
Or, to put it another way, ISON's music is plenty vast and grandiose enough
on its own; it needs no help from the famed astronomer to get that effect.
So again, what does all of this have to do with the world's growing social
and political uncertainty? Well, as I found when I watched Doctor Strange on
election night, ISON's Cosmic Drone serves as something of a perspective
modifier. While the songs occasionally seem to imply a materialistic view of
the universe that I don't subscribe to, the music's vast, awe-inspiring scope
still does something very useful: it reminds me that, in the grand scheme of
things, earthly affairs are not nearly as important as I might think they
are. Or, as I wrote in my Doctor Strange review, "It's both humbling and
comforting to realize that the world is not about you and your agendas-that
indeed, our desires are dwarfed by the sublime, terrifying wonders of
creation and existence."
None of this is to suggest that we should become despairing or apathetic, or
that we shouldn't get involved and fight for truth, justice, mercy, and
compassion. (Nor would I ever suggest that's what ISON is suggesting with
their music.) But sometimes, it is beneficial to have our perspectives
re-adjusted and broadened. ISON just happens to do so with some gloomily
beautiful, evocative music that conveys both the sublime beauty of the
spheres as well as the crushing alienness of the interstellar expanse.
According to their Facebook page, ISON are in the process of recording new
material; presumably, they'll be delving into the cosmos once more. Needless
to say, when they do, I'll be coming along for the journey as well.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
** Thanks ***
*** BCC FNT IPC SSR ***
*** For Knowing Where The Music Is At ***
*** Props to CaHeSo, awesome Asian Indie/Shoegaze ***
*** And to FANG/HOUND for supporting all the Indie lovers out there ***
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* NuHS we miss you! *
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