When
ISAN debuted on record in the late '90s, there was a flurry of brilliant releases in a short amount of time. The pace soon slowed down (maybe inevitably), making every release from the duo a work to be anticipated and studied with care.
Glow in the Dark Safari Set not only comes after a four-year gap, but follows the brilliant
Plans Drawn in Pencil, which only increased expectations.
Robin Saville and
Antony Ryan engage listeners from the first few seconds of the opener "Channel Ten," giving them the warm analog melodies held dear by fans of mid-'70s
Cluster (
Zuckerzeit, Sowiesoso), not to mention
Cluster's many solo or collaborative projects involving
Brian Eno, Conny Plank, and
Mani Neumeier as well as
Moebius and
Roedelius. While
ISAN structure their material along the lines of electronic pop, they're still perfectly capable of conjuring the mystery idylls and bucolic nature of '70s electronic music at its best. ~ John Bush