IN THE FISHTANK VOL. 14 (WITH AEREOGRAMME)

"In the Fishtank" is an ongoing project from Dutch record label Konkurrent. The idea is to bring together artists who the label feels are "strongly related" and get them to collaborate in the studio. Perhaps they will find the things they have in common and amplify them to new levels, or perhaps they will focus on their differences and come up with something that is uncharacteristic for both artists. Volume 14 of "In the Fishtank" brings together Scottish indie-rock band Aereogramme with American post-metal masters Isis. I had never heard Aereogramme before I heard this, but it turns out they're a pretty average (though decent) indie rock band who alternate between soft melodies and explosions of lush electro-sonic layers. So, what will happen when one of my favorite metal bands works with a band I know nothing about, and probably wouldn't listen to regularly by themselves? The results of the collaboration are surprisingly good.

The EP contains three songs in total: the first is about 9 minutes, the second about four, and the last track is over 10 minutes. It seems that the groups came together and focused on their love for creating good rock with lots of atmosphere. The first track begins with a low drone and some clean guitars that will sound familiar to Isis fans, until Aereogramme enter with their bits of synthesized ambience, and Aereogramme's vocalist provides the bulk of the lyrical work. The song drones on for the rest of the time and rather sounds like an Isis song that is being played by a different band. The second track is more like an actual "metal" song, and sounds like a more digestible version of some earlier Isis tracks, and actually features Aaron Turner on vocals. The last track is a much more ambient piece than the others and can be quite haunting at times. This song sounds like more of a drawn-out, ambient Aereogramme song with creepy touches laid on by the members of Isis.

I would call this seemingly random collaboration a success. The bands found what they had in common and ran with it, creating new levels of atmospheric beauty that neither band was likely to create on their own. This album gets three stars because while it is good, it should certainly not be anyone's introduction to Isis. Wait until you have their other major progressive releases, then try this out.