This Portland outfit just nails it. So casual and confident, they just stroll in and just ooze out flawless dreamy fuzzed out noise/pop. Bass lines drive most of these tracks, while guitars swim in the aether, a relationship that bears more than a passing (and extremely flattering) comparison to Fraser/Guthrie circa Blue Bell Knoll, when they really dialed the shit in (I'm probably in the minority there, but you get my drift...). IS/IS veer effortlessly into garage pop on "Sideways," and reaching deeper into their repertoire it seems that this success isn't a fluke, and the band pulls off a brilliant '90s alt/indie number with "Gleam," but their excellence is rooted in the way they approach relatively simple melodies and breathe life and mystery into them. Listen to "Rune." Listen to it a lot. I stumbled on this cassette in a bargain bin and purchased on a whim and a fondness for the cover (don't think I'm a baller, the thing was a dollar), and IS/IS is my favorite accidental discovery in years, even their stabs at a rudimentary grunge rehash are worth your time. For fans of STONE ROSES, WAX IDOLS, early PINK FLOYD, MBV, COCTEAU TWINS...and sheer bliss.
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