Steve Kibley of The Church is perhaps one of the busiest musicians in Australia. Aside from his contribution to Aussie dad-rock with his main band, he's also embarked on a number of side projects, not to mention releasing solo material. So, it comes as no surprise that he has embarked on yet another side project, this time with Jeffrey Cain of American rock band Remy Zero. What's unusual about this particular collaboration is that Kibley only contributed his vocal talent; and everything else was left to Cain. This unusual arrangement has paid off, because Cain composes music that plays up to Kibley's vocal strengths, all the while keeping things remarkably cohesive.

This cohesion is even more amazing when you consider the amazing variety of musical styles present on "Isidore". Things go from straightforward post-punk, through to glam rock, to electronica, and back again, all without any jarring changes in tone. Many artists have tried this approach, flowing through a different style with every song, but Cain has not only managed to join everything together neatly, but he's managed to make each particular style that he's tackled sound good.

The strength of the duo is really showcased on songs like Sanskrit. A killer melody anchors the song, but the swirling layers of strings, acoustic guitar, and drum machines that clothe the song turn it from a good track into a truly great one. Ghosting is a song with an intricately layered verse of glitch and backwards guitar, before it coasts out onto a chorus of echoing piano, while The Memory Cloud has a perfect synthesis between its fuzzy guitar and the backing vocals which permeate the song.

For his part, Kibley also turns in a good effort. His vocals sound haunted and troubled, perfectly complementing the eerie feel of Cain's arrangements. He wisely avoids directly channelling the sound of his work with The Church, and instead delivers his vocals in a manner that is bleak, without sounding gothy or emo. Saltwater is a particular highlight, with his abstract poetry blending perfectly with the music to produce a hair-raising fusion. Apart from his somewhat sloppy efforts on Musidora, which seems to upbeat and bright compared to the rest of this album, he turns in a pretty impressive performance.

Fans who listen to this album expecting either Remy Zero or The Church are probably going to be disappointed. But for fans who are in the mood for something a little more different and challenging, and who can tolerate the occasional misstep, this might be just what you're looking for.