Ninja Tune
Amon Tobin is rumoured to live in a vast warehouse on the edges of Montreal’s industrial district where his sonic experiments will not disturb any neighbours. Whether true or not ISAM is a gorgeous layering of sounds. Who knows exactly where Tobin found them or created them? All that matters is that in his hands they become wonderfully evocative soundscapes. Random noises flit from speaker to speaker interspersed with melodious fragments floating above Tobin’s industrial noises made to mimic the natural world. “Wooden Toy” is the only track to feature any vocals and the closest one to a “standard song” on the album. ISAM is a journey through the night; “Night Swim” feels like the breaking of the dawn on a long night of productive work.
