This is likely a band that needs little help, as Pitchfuck and their ilk will be jumping all over this if they haven’t already, but Islands’ debut album Return to the Sea is wedged so far into my earhole that I have to share. So for today’s Hear-n-Share we’ll ride to the Islands together, ah-ah, making love to each other, ah… um… er…
Okay, so Islands. Yeah. The offspring of the now extinct Unicorns [Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?], and sometimes erroneously described as a “side project” (unlike Th’ Corn Gangg), Islands on stage is Nicholas Thorburn (aka Nick Diamonds of the Unicorns), Jamie Thompson (aka J’aime Tambeur), Patrice Agbokou, Jim Guthrie (Royal City), Alex and Sebastian Chow, and Patrick Gregoire. On the album and in the studio, which is sometimes Jamie’s bedroom, Islands are joined by members of The Arcade Fire, as well as Subtitle and Busdriver.
Although this isn’t a side project, Islands does have a certain Unicorniness to it. But while Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? was a somewhat lo-fi affair, Return to the Sea is more lush, Royal Citified even, as evidenced by Guthrie’s guitar and the Chow brothers’ strings.
There are some immediate standouts, the sprawling opening track Swans (Life After Death), for instance, but this album is also a grower. The more I listen, the more I likey. Fans of Rhymin’ Simon era Paul Simon, the Elephant 6 collective, the soundtrack to Delicatessen, and even the Polyphonic Spree should enjoy this big time. With its kathartic lyrics, the second track, Humans, sounds as if it shoulda been on Together We’re Heavy (Burn those bridges/when we come to them/I’m not just their leader/I’m also one of them). Rough Gem, the album’s single, has a similar Spree bounciness to it.
Here’s the video for Rough Gem.
Return to the Sea is quickly becoming one of the my favorite new releases of the first half of 2006, so here are a few tracks to whet your palate.
- Listen to Humans
- Listen to Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby
You can also listen to more songs on the Islands’ MySpace page, or on Pop Montreal’s Popcast #4 (mp3).
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Great songs. Immediately likeable. Of the three songs above, I think Rough Gem sounds most like Unicorns, but you’re right, there’s that added measure of professionalism that makes the difference.
The rap in “Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby” brings back fond fond memories of Bobby’s rap from The Ghostbusters II theme.
I finally bought this album and noticed that we didn’t post “Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby”, which is also a great song. Good ol’ SXSW got the name wrong. The song is really “Where There’s a Will (There’s a Whalebone)”.