Themes for Dying Earth is the fifth instalment from Canada’s Jamison Isaak and the first to be released through his own label FLORA. Following Isaak’s foray into the world of indie-pop on his previous album Morning World, released back in 2015, Themes for Dying Earth sees him return to the stretches of ambient electronica which previously coloured his music. Morning World seems to have taught Isaak a lot of lessons which spill into the creative flow of Themes for Dying Earth, namely the stimulating experience of collaborating with other musicians. This time round Isaak has expanded the team of collaborators; S. Carey (Bon Iver), Dustin Wong, Nadia Hulett, Sound of Ceres and Jon Anderson all play vital roles with Anderson covering the pedal steel on ‘Anew’.

Samples of previous Teen Daze records feature sporadically across Themes for Dying Earth. Moving like memories of the past, Isaak relishes his own history to bring out soundscapes that glimmer with hints of Chapterhouse and Slowdive whilst ambient synthesisers build walls of reverie around. The likes of ‘Cycle’, which opens the album and marks the first single, play upon historic samples of Isaak bringing about serene imagery and glowing optimism, fittingly released at the turn of spring. Isaak points to the future whilst ironically using spirits of his past to form foundations.

Themes for Dying Earth is concerned with many things but namely the environmental connotations in the album’s title resonate within the sounds and lyricism across all ten tracks. ‘Cycle’ opens the album, possibly connoting the cyclical regime of the seasons and days whereas ‘Cherry Blossoms’, ‘First Rain’ and ‘Water in Heaven’ all carry a similar elemental presence within the names and cathartic sounds embedded within the musicality. This pastoral, natural feel that swarms throughout Isaak’s creation carries such a transcending notion of happiness that it is hard not to catch yourself mindlessly grinning.

‘Dream City’ details a completely different type of environment within its title compared to the pastoral picture that is painted elsewhere but, in doing so, provides a different narrative – contrast is often good to embed ideas, after all. Sampled electronics stutter through the beginning before the warm familiarity of synthesisers swell underneath. ‘Becoming’ follows a similar pattern to ‘Cycle’, this time stepping on the breaks slightly, drawing the keys out and allowing the song to collapse into lucidity. It becomes apparent that the likes of Carey, accustomed to his own solo music and work within Bon Iver, fit perfectly within the agrarian nature of Isaak’s music.

Drawing on his own history once more, ‘Lost’ becomes another number in the album that exists around Isaak’s past whilst similarly allowing Carey’s percussion to become more experimental and playful in its nature. It picks at the meditative qualities of the album being euphoric in completely its own way. ‘Cherry Blossoms’ plays on a slightly more pop intuition, pulling together captivating hooks and shimmers of science fiction samples.

The rhythmical upholding of Themes for Dying Earth is heavily embedded through the centrefold of the album upon stand out track ‘First Rain’, a song that is as elegant as the title would make you imagine and the following number, ‘Rising’. Both tracks emerge as favourites from the album being therapeutic cuddles of security; it is around this point that you begin to notice the true message of the album.

This is an album that falls into the wake of exceptionally corrupt and nasty socio-political times. A regression in socio-political encounters spawns two opposing but important movements: escapism and also confrontation – these ideas can be drawn back to the 1960s and the birth of contemporary pop-culture from conflicting political agendas. Neither one or the other is more important and, as the textures of ’Anew’ begin to move over, this message of escapist relief and transcendence becomes ever more powerful. ‘Water In Heaven’ falls perfectly towards the end with its ginormous organs allowing for the final release of ‘Breath’ to hit you with no more force than the title would presume.

Jamison Isaak may not be the most renowned name you hear about, testament to the fact his London show at the end of January went largely unnoticed. This album is important for this time of year though and the times we are going through, it’s the type you could listen to over and over again. A true work of art in completely its own way.
Tom Churchill

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