ISAM

I'm a big fan of Amon Tobin's works; I've got most of his albums, going all the way back to Bricolage. This album is another proud addition to my Amon Tobin collection.That being said, it's not one of my favorite albums from Mr. Tobin. It's got a bit too many experimental, dissident, and sparse tracks.My favorite tracks from this album are "Goto 10," "Surge," and "Lost & Found." Tracks like those keep me coming back for more, every time.

Kind of post-modern, experimental feel to it. If I was being really critical, then I might say some of the later tracks might be an academic exercise in new music. But I don't pretend to understand all of Mr. Tobin's music. I will say the first three tracks will blow you away and please play on high volume. (Make sure your speakers can handle the bass.)

I never write reviews. Nothing has ever moved me like this.The people that give this less than 5-stars, just aren't in a place right now in their life where this works for them, and as a result are completely missing it. This won't ever work for many people. There was a time in my life where I would never have understood this album, and this place where I understand it now, may pass. The key to understanding this album is to pay attention and truly listen. Active listening. There's no way you can be doing anything else.For those of you that think this is minimalist. This IS NOT minimal. Anyone that thinks this is minimal is not listening. What it is, is humorous, enthralling, horrifying, terrifying, and majestic, all at the same time. I literally was laughing, crying, screaming, and pulling my hair out during the course of the album. A previous reviewer correctly said that you never know what sound you're going to hear at any given point. So true, the sounds are so diverse. Another reviewer said it was art, but questioned the musicality. On only a couple tracks was the tempo and time signature obscure and not pronounced. Another reviewer said the songs all followed a predictable formula. Nothing could be further than the truth. These people aren't listening and hearing it. But that's ok for them right now. This isn't where they are in life.Nothing like this has ever been done before. However, Autechre Oversteps is a similar sort of step. This is something so new that it is inevitably unfamiliar sounding. Give it a chance, it may grow in you as it becomes more familiar. This will be a problem for this album. As another reviewer so correctly mentioned, Amon Tobin is light years ahead of everyone else. This also means that this album will be a turn off up front for many because of it's unfamiliarity.This album is redefining music. This album made me believe in God.

So good.

I bought this album not knowing what it was. I found a reference to it on line and it was supposed to sound very good and I was curious. It is, in fact, a vast electronic composition, with very outstanding sound. I think it's appeal will be narrow, but if you want to try something like this, here is a terrific recording to start with. Shipping was fast and no trouble.

Amon Tobin has been reshaping the expectations of his genre for many years, and Isam is no exception. I bought this CD after seeing his ground breaking live show. The engineering on this recording is top notch, and really pushes my sound system quite nicely. If you are a fan of Tobins work, you'll certainly love this CD.

i always laughed, when i'd hear an amon tobin song on an adult swim bump or on one of my playlist - because his music always had such elaborate intros - its was an instant tell that an amon tobin song was on its way, ready to wreck you eardrums with some electronic craziness. when i 1st purchased 'isam' i said "wtf is this?" did he make just an album based on his love for crazy sounding introductions or what?that was until i really researched what tobin was trying to accomplish. he basically created the whole album by recording sounds from everyday household items like a light bulb and transferred them from a mic to a digital fingerboard -that much like a musical keyboard produced different tones of the original sound. after witnessing that i gave the album a real listen after kinda being turned away by my first initial listen.while each song really lacks any structure and well...? a timed bpm beat - its hard to say this album isn't groundbreaking! the vast array of sounds are so out of this world its hard to explain what you are really hearing at any given moment in any particular song? plus, not only has noone ever heard anything like this before in an entire album format, but its hard to say that noone in their right mind except for tobin would ever attempt to produce an album like this and be successful with it.tobin is lightyears ahead of any artist in the electronic world - he's genius is trying to convey a new form of electronica to his audience by going beyond the bounds of the simple 'intelligent dance music' bulls@#! and creating a new genre that noone but himself is ready for. btw, if you havent seen the youtube clips of his upcoming show in the states - then you clearly havent had your mind blown yet! denver october 19th!!!

Good