When the Pixies played the Avalon in Boston back in 2004, their first gig back home in a dozen years, it was touching to see Kim Deal tear up at the end of the set after two hours of bliss for us fans. The opening "act" was drummer Dave Lovering doing his magic act for some ladies. All night the 'Doolittle' songs littered their set, and my fondest memories are mainly those songs. "Debaser" was their opening tune. They teased the audience all night by playing the opening few notes to “Here Comes Your Man” before every other song. Frank Black maniacally laughed through "Mr. Grieves." It was so good I bought the show on CD before I left.

Now Frank Black tells Spin magazine the band is officially going to play some US dates on their ‘Doolittle’ 20th anniversary tour. Including Boston. The heroes return home!

Isis is one of those bands some of my friends have been into forever. I have heard their music countless times. A few years back I picked up “Oceanic” and began loving them myself. After a string of excellent albums the band closes out the decade with “Wavering Radiant,” officially tossing their hat in the ring for best band of the decade.

Isis wastes little time punching out a riff and barreling into the opener “Hall of the Dead,” setting a medium tempo from the start. It’s obvious the band is not going to have Turner sing as much as he did on “In the Absence of Truth,” and I think it suits the music better when he swaps between growling and showing off his vocal pipes. “Ghost Key” follows up with a floating synth riff and alternates between quiet and loud, keeping a similar pace as the opener. By the end of “Hand of the Host,” the band seems to have hit cruise control on the tempo and is trying to get the most out of it, a severe change from everything they’ve ever done.

“Radiant” is divided into two clear halves with its intermission-style title track.