LIVE I

This is the first live album by Isis and was released one year after Oceanic. It consists of four tracks, all of them from Oceanic. In my opinion this album was never meant to be perfect. It's just an example of what Isis sound like when performing live. Well, the sound is not that good but this doesn't stop the band from creating a powerful performance. The four extended versions of the tracks, even though are played with a completely different order (to the one on the album) they still give you a filling of a connection between them.

The guitars are pretty good but the sound quality makes them sound dirty and unclear at times. While it can be annoying, it's not necessarily bad since the production on the albums was never meant to be crystal clear. If you're not new to Isis you probably know that the raw sound is a characteristic of the band's sound. The bass guitar is pretty solid and the drums are, like always, amazing. I always loved Aaron Harris sound and I have to admit that I was unsure whether his sound was a product of studio work and here he proves it's not. Turner's vocals sound a bit different from the album and sometimes are a bit of key but they remain emotional and passionate. Last but not least Cliff Meyer helps in the creation of the ambience providing effects and electronics.

Being an Isis fan I really seem to enjoy this album. However, if you are new to Isis do not buy this one especially if you are not into post rock. I say this because Isis temperate stance (repetitive, atmospheric, simple) mixed with the sound quality will probably make most people dislike the band. I suggest buying a studio album first. If you are an Isis fan, and have got all the studio albums then yeah, I highly recommend it. 3 stars because it's not for everybody.

As my fellow reviewer Sularetal has suggested, ISIS' Live I will mostly appeal to post rock lovers and established fans of the band. I generally adore ISIS' live albums, unlike most live albums. I would give it 3 1/2 stars - 4 for genre or band fans and 3 otherwise - but that's not an option. The sound quality is just fair, but that's not surprising considering Live I was self-released.

Aaron Harris has obviously been a fantastic drummer since the band's beginnings. There is almost no singing, but vocal quality was never a priority for ISIS. I won't single out individual songs for merit, even though ISIS was definitely not your run of the mill post rock band from the start. Their music became increasingly more varied and interesting over time. I would call ISIS' first live release more of an EP than an album. It's only four songs lasting a total of 40 minutes. However, that's just semantics. Over all, this is a very listenable 40 minutes.