Obscure Oratory; Subliminal Sounds: Isochronous

(269 reads) Isochronous (pronounced: eye-sock-ruh-nass) – From the Greek ‘iso’ (equal) and chronos (time), literally means to occur at the same time or at equal time intervals. The definition varies under different technical contexts.

Certainly the most idiosyncratic of interviewees ever to come beneath my volley of pseudo-academic interrogations, Richard Brokensha, castrati-voiced vocalist and speedy-fingered six-stringer with Pretorian-based rock/ambient act Isochronous, sounds positively drugged. He drawls, sits silent for several seconds - answers always monosyllabic and un-elucidatory. He talks slowly, protracting each second to its most painfully stretched degree; speaks abstractly, dreamily and sounds the index of the pseudo-conscious. If I were transcribing mumbled fragments from a monologue of his given while asleep, I doubt he would come off looking any less articulate.

But for all his reluctance to part with facts and all his blithe maundering, put a fretboard beneath his fingers and microphone in front of his mouth, and the result is markedly beautiful. Brokensha is a musician in a ménage trois; he plays with both Kid of Doom and Isochronous, his personal project circa 2006. So the mystery behind the congruence between both bands’ sounds (while they are quite different in certain respects) is quite easily solved. Isochronous is an enigmatic cocktail, an admixture of rock-inflected guitars, steady and intricate drumming, vast aural-landscape summoning keyboards and a perennial-flowing plangency of bass to hold it all together. There are (gasp!) vocals, rather feminine-tinged, aiming for the higher octaves, drawn-out and one could say quite soothing - a perfect complement to the wandering atmospherics of the music itself. Fragments of lyricism include “heaven’s not far now/harmony in the darkest cave/beauty is my nature” and “take the soul of a jealous man/perception change is needed/to build a bridge of memories”…

Brokensha opens by giving me an incorrect etymology of his band’s name: “Directly translated from the Latin [sic], it means happening at the same time.” It’s tough to string together the fragments of his speech into a coherent overall, but the long and short of it is the name was suggested to him by a physician friend – as to why it’s appropriate he doesn’t know. But regardless, the band formed in late 2006, completed by Marco Benini (drummer and chief lyricist – who I’m told doesn’t like taking interviews), Franco Schoeman (bass) and Aleks Parker (keyboard/synthesizer).

The band have recently released their debut album, a self-titled work, which is seeing a limited release as the band is entirely independent – a copy can be acquired by visiting one of their many shows. The shows in question have an alluring hypnotism about them; the crowd is enthralled by the portrait of delicate, narrative songwriting the band paints, taken in by beauty of their swelling synthesizers, and the silken voice Brokensha commands onstage.

“Performing live is like… basically, putting on your… I don’t know… showing people what you have… [protracted silence]… trying to get yourself out there and show them.” Even though Brokensha can’t translate into words what it is he’s doing onstage, the music speaks for itself. Isochronous makes fanatical fans quite easily, most of whom can’t pronounce their name- they’re drawn to the attraction of the music, the ineffable; something which, to Brokensha at least, is beyond explanation.

Apropos their plans for the future, Brokensha says, “We want to go overseas next year. Europe.” When I ask whether any European labels or organizations have taken an interest in their output, he says “… maybe.” Then after a nervous laugh, “No.” It is, of course, Europe’s loss (not that they’ll have one sleepless night) and South Africa’s gain in the matter. We could thoroughly use a band like Isochronous on our shores, and it’s only a crying shame that so soon after their debut they’re already making plans for a trans-continental exit strategy.

But ultimately, what can be learned from Brokensha’s surely broken manner of orating is that he believes his band to be contrary to pop music. He says, “[the lyrics] are about the world. We don’t sing about crap. We don’t sing about bling-bling and all that.” He mentions the word philosophy several times, and Freud once, though cannot say what sort of philosophy it is that underscores this transcendental, meditative music of his. Oh, well… perhaps Isochronous is not the sort of music one interrogates and questions and probes. Perhaps it is simply music one imbibes, immerses oneself in, and flows with. Whatever the case, Isochronous’s heavenly harmonies and mellifluent melodies are certainly an arrant change from the regular aural tripe we’re assaulted with. Submerse yourself.

*pic - Eckardt Hasselman