BUZZ BANDS

Isis makes noise after Tool gig

Like Boris, Mastodon and Om, local metal quintet Isis earned a lot of new fans in 2006. Its gut-rumbling bass lines and ethereal textures made them favorites of prog behemoths Tool, who asked them to open a recent arena tour. But Isis’ bigger challenge was persuading Tool’s crowds, who notoriously have little love for any band that isn’t Tool, to feel the same way.

“I prepared for the worst, but they were pretty docile compared to when we opened for Napalm Death or Dillinger Escape Plan,” said Isis singer-guitarist Aaron Harris. “You’re so far removed from the audience, they become insects more than humans.”

Isis’ newest album, “In the Absence of Truth,” pulls off the unlikely trick of being brutal enough for thrash and doom fans yet as lovely and creepy as revered noisenik Tim Hecker (who contributed to an album of Isis remixes). “Absence” is a thicket of moody guitars, incantatory drumming and a sense of hugeness destined for arenas, if not canyons. Flurries of ambient tones and white noise step to the forefront, as does Harris’ voice, which goes from a lulling whisper to a hellish grumble.

Isis headlines the Henry Fonda Theater on Sunday with Jesu, hoping to capitalize on the momentum from the Tool tour and metal’s unlikely return to the national spotlight. But did they learn anything about the band whose support helped get them this far?

“None of us knew Maynard,” Harris says with a laugh, referring to Tool’s reclusive frontman. “We still don’t, but I can appreciate that about him.”

Tabloids cover the Gossip

The Gossip’s Beth Ditto, the magma-voiced singer prone to onstage stripping (see this year’s SXSW) and cupcake smashing (at blogger Perez Hilton’s birthday bash a few weeks ago), just got her first ever speeding ticket on her way to Olympia, Wash. “I can’t believe it,” Ditto says. “And I’ve only had my license for two months.”

Lots of things in the Gossip world are speeding around right now. For one, England’s crazy for the blistering soul-punk on the Gossip’s latest, “Standing in the Way of Control.” NME not only put Ditto’s bodacious bod on the cover, it also nominated her for its sexiest woman contest. “England is blowing my mind right now,” Ditto says. “It’s at the point where the tabloids are trying to interview our families.”

The most recent stir came when Ditto refused to play a Top Shop-sponsored show, calling out the clothier for not carrying her size. “They responded by saying, ‘Well, we carry a size 16,’ which is a size 12 in America. Why would I play a show for someone who doesn’t want me to play in their clothing?”

The three-piece has also left the Kill Rock Stars label in favor of LGBT label Music With a Twist, a subsidiary of Sony-Columbia. “We just liked the people,” Ditto says. “If I like the people and the politics, I’m there.”

The Portland-based band plays the Troubadour, Saturday.

Hey, fun times: Hellogoodbye

At first glance, it might be tempting to dismiss the Huntington Beach band Hellogoodbye as Orange County lads creating syrupy loop-anthems for backyard keggers. Maybe they are exactly that, but it’s working: their vocoder-loving single “(Here) In Your Arms” peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its Friday show at the Wiltern is sold out.

Frontman Forrest Kline’s formula is based on absolute fun-having every second of the day. Recent live shows have featured water guns. Its album title “Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!” was inspired by a video game. Future shows will feature ping-pong tables, Kline says. Who knows if he’s serious?

The fun translates to video too. “(Here) In Your Arms” is an homage to goofball feature “Wet Hot American Summer,” and after stalking him on MySpace, Kline’s been in touch with “Wet Hot” co-writer Michael Showalter about directing the band’s next video. “Instead of just ripping him off we might pay him this time,” Kline says.

Fast forward

* Touts: British expats and Americana stalwarts Minibar headline the Troubadour on Tuesday to celebrate their new record “Desert After Rain”; freaky folk-rockers Man Man play the Roxy tonight; the Echo hosts the ever touring punk-poppers the Thermals Friday.

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August Brown and Margaret Wappler

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Recommended downloads

* Download Isis’ “Dulcinea” at ipecac.com/discography.php

* Download the Gossip’s “Listen Up!” at killrockstars.com/looklistenwatch

* Stream Hellogoodbye’s “(Here) In Your Arms” at myspace.com/hellogoodbye