Isotope 217

Fresh from the jaws of Tortoise comes Isotope 217, indie rock's answer to jazz. Composed of three Tortoise members and two other hyper-cool local jazzbos (including renowned cornetist Robert Mazurek), Isotope 217 promises to help rid the Chicago-based cult of funky, jazzy instrumental bands of their nerdy, studio-wank stigma. Although Tortoise is known to noodle, sometimes excruciatingly, in the hazy realms of post-rock, Isotope 217 sticks closer to the point, bringing a smooth, collaborative fervor of jazz to the forefront. The result is extraordinary.

The band's name is appropriate. Utonian Automatic, the band's second record, blurs and shifts like an unstable element, interweaving hard, funky textures and breezy effects with unerring, often subconscious precision. Comparisons to Miles Davis have been broached, and for good reason; Utonian Automatic is almost radically fresh, canvassing every inch of the musical spectrum with its deft concoctions. Also like Davis' better albums, Utonian Automatic has a timelessness and perspective that suggest that its relevance need not be of the moment. The record's effect is pleasantly distracting, coaxing internal reality into a bleary-eyed abstraction. Utonian Automatic is a far more brassy, engaging record than even Tortoise's most accessible work. The record flows like sand through the fingers; jumpy basslines snake around rustling drum leads while the cornet and the trumpet keep your head in the game. Utonian Automatic is no dance record, but it has the same undeniable groove-the sense of continuity, perspective and musical eloquence-that could make it a real treat for an enterprising remixer.

Utonian Automatic may be post-rock for everyone. Like Miles Davis, it can be enjoyed on many levels. It's as welcome on the ride home as in a late-night listening session; it's as cohesive and likable as it is cerebral and challenging. You can even enjoy it without getting funny looks. It's about time a Chicago band could boast that.

-By Jonas Blank