The Isotopes – The First Four Seasons

Seattle was ground zero for the 90s grunge movement. Nashville is well known as the home of country music. Way up north in Canada, the ocean front city of Vancouver is home to a number of great pop punk bands (see early Mint Records releases). What makes it stand out though, is that it is also home to three of the best sports themed pop punk bands around; The Hanson Brothers, The Hextalls and The Isotopes. While the first two bands focus on hockey in typical Canadian fashion, The Isotopes fully immerse themselves in America’s pastime, baseball. Often, interest in themed bands is short lived, but catchy Ramones-core pop punk lends itself to these things well (look at horror themed Groovie Ghoulies’ brilliant discography). But The Isotopes manage to create genuinely interesting pop punk that revolves entirely around baseball.

The First Four Seasons is a compilation full length, which is made up of Blood Diamond EP, Heatseeker EP, Lead Off and The Ballad of Rey Ordonez singles & the Cuban Missile EP, with three newly recorded tracks added in. Most of the tracks are in the 1-2 minute range, allowing for maximum catchiness with minimal repetition. These are songs that will get stuck in your head to the point of near insanity. My wife pointed out to me yesterday that I was unconsciously slipping the lyrics only rookie wimps get doubled into casual conversation.

For those unfamiliar with The Isotopes previous releases, this is a must own compilation. The First Four Seasons kicks off with Heatseeker, which should appeal to Teenage Bottlerocket fans. Part of the reason The Isotopes baseball gimmick doesn’t get old is that they find interesting and intelligent ways to bring other topics into the baseball theme. Infield Fly explains a rule that is often confusing for casual players. They look at the South American kidnapping of Wilson Ramos in Operation: Vamos and controversial gambling in Rule 21. Much like any hockey punks worth a listen should cover Stompin’ Tom’s Hockey Song; The Isotopes reinvent well known Take Me Out to the Ballgame in a way that would make Dee Dee and Joey proud. It is far from revolutionary, but it is a nice addition. Album highlight and by far the longest song on the album, Just to Bring You Home examines a topic addressed in the well-known movie, A League of Their Own.  Female vocals (reminiscent of The Horrorpops’ Kiss Kiss Kill Kill) tell the story of a women’s baseball league formed during the war and includes a spoken word portion reflecting a letter from a soldier. It is a surprisingly emotional song for the genre. The hilarious new track Tiger Blood talks about a real life Kenny Powers. The wealth of knowledge about the sport helps make the music a success.

Lead vocalist Evan October was recently banned for 5 years from the US after border issues (ironically, it usually happens when American bands try to come North into Canada). After listening to The First Four Seasons, one really hopes that this setback doesn’t signal the end of The Isotopes, whose brand of Ramones influenced pop punk, sits right at the top of the genre alongside big names like The Queers and Screeching Weasel. Maybe they can just tour back and forth across Canada with Chixdiggit and The Hextalls in tow?

This compilation of The Isotopes previously released music is a worthwhile listen. It is short and to the point, leaving little time for boredom and designed for repeated listens. In an over saturated genre full of plenty of unnecessary filler, The Isotopes manage to stand out, both because of their love of baseball and their well crafted songs.