I cannot read music too well. Over the years a result of this has been an increase in my ability to learn music by ear and memorise the most regularly used chord progressions, rhythms and motifs - to the point where I can listen to a song 2 or 3 times and thereafter 'know it'. One of my party tricks is to pick up an instrument (usually the bass) and mug along convincingly to it - usually for denigration purposes: "this band is so unoriginal, I can play their songs without having heard them first".

And so it is with this album - which I only bought today on the strength of it's inclusion on the Big DiS chart (I also bought Silent Alarm, but we won't go into that right now).

Every song meanders along pleasently for 8 minutes in a manner so predictable that even though as I write this, I am listening to the album for the first time, I have been playing along on the guitar without any mistakes. And don't let anyone confuse me for a good guitarist, lemme say.

In conclusion, Oceanic by Isis is a practise/educational tool, no more.