Reissue of the long out of print mini LP, originally released on Static Caravan in 2003.
Isares served as a bridge between the two genre-defining albums on Morr Music in the beginning of the new millennium and what was to come in the following years. The four track mini LP points in different directions simultaneously: both towards the ambient works that would soon take up such a prominent place in the Manual discography, as well as towards the epic, 1980s-influenced Azure Vista, released in 2005.
The warm and swirling sound of Isares betrays Jonas Munk's admiration for the sound of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The gentle repetitions of Seefeel and the dreamy, spacious sound of Pygmalion-era Slowdive are more apparent here than ever, as oceanic guitars roll over analog synthesizers and found-sound samples. The blissed-out closing track, Horizon, nods towards Brian Eno's Apollo and David Sylvian's ambient works from the 1980s. As is so characteristic for Jonas Munk's work as Manual (and so uncharacteristic for so much of the electronic music of the past two decades) these four pieces reveal not only an interest in sound, but also in structure and songwriting.
Although the works of Manual were highly regarded by critics in this period, Jonas Munk remained in obscurity. But the influence of these sounds can still be heard in following acts such as M83 or Tycho as well as in recent styles such as neo-shoegaze and chill-wave.
Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
Sum Dic, Pitchfork