Best Set of 2007?

I am nearly at a loss for words when trying to review the Isis concert at the 930 Club that I attended last night.

They were phenomenal. Better than almost anything else I’ve ever seen. Demonstrating an entirely new level of musicianship last night they raised the bar for the post-metal/post-rock scene to almost unattainable heights. Isis are the masters.

Isis took full advantage fo the 930 Club’s awesome sound system to give Washington music fans a real treat. From the get go their crushing wall of sound blew past their 2004 Black Cat set – a feat I didn’t think possible before last night. Not only did they pump up the muscle in their sound, but the 930 Club’s sweet set-up also amplified Isis’ quiet moments to a state of sheer beauty rarely achieved. Isis’ music is dense and complex and last night you could hear every microscopic, subtle sound move each band member made. It was a fascinating level of clarity exposing a new brilliance to Isis’ music that otherwise gets lost when they play on lesser sound systems.

Occasionally I toss around the phrase ‘music nirvana’ as the highest state of live music enjoyment. When the outside world drops away leaving the band and the crowd in their own pocket universe of musical experience. It is the gold standard by which I judge all my live music experiences and while many shows come close only 1 or 2 a year achieve it. Isis did it once before in 2004 and somehow managed to best even that esteemed performance with what they did last night.

I’m sorry you missed it.

Originally published on March 12, 2007.