Wavering Radiant - Writing and Recording

Writing and Recording

From conception to final release in 2009, drummer Aaron Harris estimates that the creation and execution of Wavering Radiant took about two and a half years. During the writing of the record, all of Isis' members were residing permanently within Los Angeles; a situation in contrast to their previous full-length, 2006's In the Absence of Truth; band members were divided between New York and Los Angeles throughout that album's inception and creation. The entire band felt a degree of dissatisfaction with In the Absence of Truth, and Harris felt that the logistical change was beneficial to the writing process, allowing for more time: "rather than feeling like we had limited time to capture something, I felt like we could take our time with the songs, and come back the next day to work on things rather than in a few weeks". The resulting sound was described by guitarist Michael Gallagher as "more live a little bit dirtier – almost, for lack of a better word, sloppy. But in a good way. We spent a lot of time getting all of our takes as close to perfect as we could on previous records. On this one, we went more with the vibe of the particular take in question."

During the composition phase, Harris multitrack recorded the rehearsals, allowing the band to listen to the material and re-examine it, allowing them greater room to jam while writing "without the worry of forgetting something or not fully understanding what doing". This, coupled with the lack of a deadline, meant that the process was more open-ended for the band, allowing more freedom to abandon failed avenues and giving ideas time to evolve. This attitude was extended to the manner in which the vocals were tracked – until Wavering Radiant, the vocals had normally been recorded last. Instead, more time was spent recording them; this allowed Turner, who had steadily grown in confidence as a vocalist, to relax and enjoy the process.

The recording process for the album began in November 2008 and lasted around three months, helmed by Joe Barresi. Isis' previous full-lengths since Celestial had been produced by Matt Bayles, but for this record, it was decided that a change was needed. Although the professional parting of ways was peaceable, working with Bayles had become, in the words of Harris, "routine" and "old hat". Barresi was selected thanks to his work with bands such as Tool, Queens of the Stone Age and Melvins, and upon the album's completion, Harris felt that Barresi "brought out some aspects of the band that even we didn't fully understand." Harris' drums and keyboardist Bryant Clifford Meyer's Hammond B3 lines were tracked over three and a half days at Sound City in Van Nuys; the same studio in which the seminal Nirvana record Nevermind was tracked. This marked the first time a specialist drum tech was utilised by the band; Jerry Johnson, a veteran of projects with Def Leppard and Linkin Park, was recruited.

The involvement of Tool's Adam Jones as a guest musician was revealed at the same time as the album's official announcement. Jones contributes additional guitar on "Hall of the Dead" and keyboards on "Wavering Radiant", whereas Tool member Justin Chancellor had contributed to Isis' 2004 album, Panopticon, and Isis supported Tool during a 2006 tour.

Two additional tracks were recorded during the Wavering Radiant sessions, but failed to make it onto the final cut of the album. "The Pliable Foe" was selected for the Metal Swim compilation released by Adult Swim, as well as Isis' split with the Melvins, both released in 2010. "Way Through Woven Branches" saw release as an addition to the Japanese edition as a bonus track, as well as making its way onto the split with the Melvins.