I always preferred the Orb. Lifeforms once gave me the evils at 3am in the morning and i've not listened to it since. ISDN's a better album for my money. But i like the Isness because there's a lot of vulnerability on show and it did answer a question i'd wondered about for years: what would it sound like if FSOL stopped sounding so bleak?
Apparently before the Isness it was revealed that one of the band members was being poisoned by his mercury amalgam fillings. The Isness is their little yay and dance after becoming well again thanks to Indian medicine.
It was really fun to hear let their hair right down and do a sunshiney album inspired by Donovan instead of J G Ballard. I imagine the Isness would have alienated a lot of FSOL fans but i liked it a lot.