Dear Nick (Thorburn, Diamonds, whatever),

Listen. I know you’re really talented. I’ve accepted the sad truth that you know it, too. The Unicorns were genius. Return to the Sea was a turning point of epic proportions in the lives of college radio stations everywhere. I loved and defended Arm’s Way even in the face of cynical critics who ripped it to shreds, claiming you “sold out.” And I still hold that Islands’ show at the El Rey during the summer of 2008 was hands-down one of the best of the year.

We get it: you’re great.

I was even going to accept Vapours as the obligatory Under the Blacklight album of the band’s evolution. But now…now, I have a serious bone to pick with you, and all over a simple, easily avoidable issue: your shitty attitude.

You’re not the only musician to ever gain a cult-like following. In fact, I’d say there are a few other musicians who are worshipped a bit more for their songwriting abilities. So when even your live performances, which require a stage presence and an act that demands entertaining qualities, it’s disturbing that you seem to find your emotional funk wildly adorable to everyone in the room.

Not only could we see on Saturday that you were not in the mood (yes, yes; we saw your tweet about having had a rough show in New York the night before), but it translated into an egotistical barrier that completely alienated 99% of the people in the room, including those (of whom I am a part) who came specifically to see Islands.

You did not want to be at the House of Blues, and sure, that’s okay. But for god’s sake, you’re wearing white cutoff gloves with rhinestones you probably bejeweled yourself. ACT. And if you can’t act, at least remember why you are a musician, because I pray (to whomever will hear it) that you didn’t pick up a guitar because you wanted to be a god–you started a band because YOU LOVE MUSIC. So next time, when you feel like hating yourself and everyone else, don’t let it affect the jam. “Swans” was great, because you and the gang actually seemed like you were enjoying yourselves. But honestly, I could’ve done without the rest of the zombified, dispassionate set. Where’s the heart, Nick?

I don’t want to see you fail. I know there’s another Return to the Sea in you guys. And I know that your attitude can actually be kind of charming when you balance it with musicianship. That’s why I say this. Because I can tell you that, even though I’m not one of them yet, there’s a decent number of people who are quickly turning their backs on The Redeemable Nick Diamonds and His Band Called Islands. Do something about it.

Very sincerely yours,

Devon

Back in 2006, a good friend brain-ninja’d me into picking up Islands’ debut album, Return to the Sea. Having never listened to The Unicorns, the one-and-out indie darlings from which Islands sprung, my initial reaction was…well, nonplussed. Who were these wackos, I wondered, and what in the hell were they doing to Music? The album was a hot mess, sprawling and unpolished, packed floor-to-rafters with bizarre lyrics, half-formed melodies, off-key harmonies and at least one completely uncalled-for 90s rap breakdown. It was peaceful, noisy, pleasant, grating, catchy, tattered, strident, beautiful, and confusing. I had a little trouble with it.

Of course, the more I made myself listen to it, the less I wished it were a copy of Welcome Interstate Managers. The melodies began to burrow, the lyrics unfurled, and, eventually, the band’s very mercuriality struck me as something admirable, something to enjoy rather than carefully glare at from a distance. I realized that all the album’s little quirks and misalignments were not representative of laziness, but of a certain, almost irreverent sense of spontaneity. These guys were not just playing music, they were actually playing music. This whole scene was just a strange game, of which they were playing their own variation and very clearly winning.

Return to the Sea was, and is, a really good album.

A bit later on, member Jamie Thompson (one of the two giant brains behind both bands, along with co-conspiritor Nick Thorburn) departed, leaving Nick T. to charge furiously into the sophomore slump with Arm’s Way, a great cud-lump of an album more or less smothered beneath a thick blanket of studio production. At this point, I was in love with the band, but the cruel, Episode I-level disappointment I felt at this gilded turd slid me into minor desolation.

So, imagine my surprise when, a couple of years older and marginally wiser, I stumbled upon news of a new Islands album, featuring the return of Jamie. After, or perhaps with, a small, giddy backflip, I pounced upon iTunes like a thousand kittens. Which brings us to the present.

Islands’ “Tender Torture,” from Vapours.

Vapours, the band’s third, shiniest album, is good. Whatever it is that Jamie does in the band, they need to ensure that they never misplace him again – perhaps consider attaching his feet to the floor of the touring van with epoxy. Nearly everything here works; the melodies are as good as ever, the curiously off-kilter harmonies have returned full-force, and there’s just a greater sense of control here than on Arm’s Way, which had all the restraint of a rampaging wildebeest.

Aurally, the first thing one notices is the thick veneer of electronica. While Return to the Sea, too, made use of synthesizers, it did so more in the way that Easter pageants make use of kindergartners dressed like Aladdin. Vapours, by contrast, is more polished. This not to suggest that the band’s myriad other genre touches are absent, merely that there’s a sense of unity to the whole thing – they’ve added yet one more weapon to their arsenal, and they wield it with the same oddball abandon as all the rest.

The lyrics, too, see a shift, bringing along a only bit of the black whimsy of the first album  and leaving most of the unpleasantly macabre imagery of Arm’s Way far behind. If they only occasionally prove memorable (“it’s the bass line in your mind / it’s a sexy way to cry / you know I had my share of doubts / until I saw the vapours in your eyes.” – “Vapours”), it is perhaps a result of this gradual creep toward the light. Still, it’s mostly made up for by the sheer accessibility of the music, which, being somewhat less bedraggled than their debut, is much easier to take a shine to. “Switched On,” “Vapours,” “Tender Torture,” and “Heartbeat” are as catchy as anything the band as ever done, and its in those moments that one very nearly forgets the missteps entirely.

Sure, there’s nothing as epic as “Swans (Life After Death)” or “Volcanoes,” or as fun as “Rough Gem,” but Islands offers up a smorgasbord of four-minute pop here that, if lacking a bit in tonal warmth, nonetheless signals a happy return to form. Vapours is closer to Return to the Sea (and occasionally even The Unicorns’ Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?) than the charmless excess of its predecessor. It never particularly goes out of its way to impress or amaze, but proves a gratifying listen nonetheless, simply by virtue of being more of the good stuff that the band promised with their debut. Familiar but new, it neither treads water nor leaps ahead, but instead explores the boundaries of the band’s comfy, cozy musical sandbox. I think, for these guys, that’s preferable to a quantum leap and a faceplant. And it’s cool with me, too.

- DF

Thank you internet marketing for your fine work this Tuesday morning in giving me something to listen to while slaving over copy and drinking too much coffee. Exclaim! and ANTI- records, you have truly given me a delightful treat today and, if you were corporeal, then I would certainly open-mouth kiss you for the gift of Islands’ new album, Vapours, previewing all over the place (in entirety) in the week leading up to its proper release next Tuesday, September 22nd.

I guess I should talk about the album itself.

As to be expected, Vapours follows the Islands blueprint in many respects but pushes the band’s sound further in other regards. Whereas Islands’ first release Return to the Sea was a fairly experimental (and ultimately ethereal, dreamy sounding) release, their sophomore record, Arm’s Way was much more of a straightforward rock album, emphasizing rhythm and instrumentality. Vapours is another step forward, this time making use of digital effects in order to advance the band’s sound.

From the opener, Switched On and onto tracks like the excellent No You Don’t and Devout, Vapours is an album that captures the Islands spirit while pushing forward into a new direction. Part of the beauty of Thorburn and Islands’ body of work is that each experiment sounds natural, truly demonstrating different sides of a single musical personality. Islands never seem disjointed but instead, each album represents an interpretation of varying musical influences in a completely natural manner.

For longtime fans of the group it’s also refreshing to hear the return of Unicorns and original Islands drummer, J’aime Tambour (or Jamie Thompson if you want to be like that). The combination of his beats and Thorburn’s eclectic lyrics are a nostalgic return to older releases and the style combines perfectly with the tight instrumental play of the regular Islands muscians.

With Nick Thorburn continuously working toward establishing himself as the busiest man in music (last year we received Islands’ Arm’s Way, Human Highway’s Moody Motorcycle and Reefer’s self-titled album) it’s always astonishing to find more new records from any of his acts, and even more remarkable that not a single release to date has suffered in quality due to volume. Vapours is a great release from one of the best bands working today and, if you’ve enjoyed Islands (or Unicorns or Human Highway, etc.) you’re likely to get a lot out of this as well.

Just do yourself a favour and check out the release for yourself. It’s not like you have to pay or pirate for it.

— Reid

2008 was a pretty good year for new music.

The Best albums released in 2008 (Album -  Artist):

1. Brighter Than Creation’s Dark -  Drive-By Truckers
2. The Evening Descends -  Evangelicals
3. The Chemistry of Common Life -  F**ked Up
4. At Mount Zoomer -  Wolf Parade
5. HLLLYH -  The Mae Shi
6. Hold On Now, Youngster… -  Los Campesinos!
7. Liver! Lung! FR! -  Frightened Rabbit
8. Ice Cream Spiritual -  Ponytail
9. Jim -  Jamie Lidell
10. Heretic Pride -  The Mountain Goats

“You! Me! Dancing!” by Los Campesinos!, from their debut album, Hold On Now, Youngster… (also found on the 2007 EP Sticking Fingers Into Sockets)

The rest of the best (in no particular order):

• 808s & Heartbreak -  Kanye West
• Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
• Third -  Portishead
• We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed -  Los Campesinos!
• Vivian Girls -  Vivian Girls
• In The Future -  Black Mountain
• Distortion – The Magnetic Fields
• Ferndorf -  Hauschka
• Life…The Best Game in Town -  Harvey Milk
• Cities of Glass -  AIDS Wolf
• Microcastle -  Deerhunter
• The Odd Couple -  Gnarls Barkley
• Skeleton -  Abe Vigoda
• The Midnight Organ Fight -  Frightened Rabbit
• The Twilight Sad Killed My Parents and Hit the Road -  The Twilight Sad
• Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea – Silver Jews
• Methods: (EP) -  Imperial China
• Sing Along (EP)  -  Caverns
• Kittens! (EP)  -  Caverns
• Music Needs You -  Ryan Blotnick
• Red, Yellow & Blue -  Born Ruffians
• A Certain Feeling -  Bodies of Water
• Nouns -  No Age
• Smile -  Boris
• Pop-Up -  Yelle
• Made In The Dark -  Hot Chip
• Lost and Found -  The Dexateens
• Long Gone And Nearly There -  Julie Ocean
• Litany of Echoes -  James Blackshaw
• Arm’s Way -  Islands
• Magnificent Fiend -  Howlin’ Rain
• High Places -  High Places
• Flight Of The Conchords -  Flight Of The Conchords
• Christmas On Mars (Soundtrack)  -  The Flaming Lips
• Street Horrrsing -  F**k Buttons
• Visiter -  The Dodos
• Nothing Is Precious Enough for Us -  Death Vessel
• Drippers and  Bonus Drippers -  Black Moth Super Rainbow
• Rip It Off -  Times New Viking

Best Re-issue of 2008:

1. Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul -  Otis Redding

- R.H.

The Best Albums of 2008 :

1. Is it the Sea – Bonnie Prince Billy : Our favorite melancountry superstar delivers a live album that reminds one of his greatness while examining it in a whole new light.

2. Stay Positive – The Hold Steady : Working class is not a label that readily describes Craig Finn and co but their tales of townies and misguided teenagers are just as funny, touching and perfect in their own scrappy way as ever. The world’s best bar music as interpreted by indie elitists.

3. Glasvegas – Glasvegas : Melodic catharsis in spades delivered by four Glasgowians. This young band is not infallible as a whispered poem over Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata suffers in comparison to the original but they got spirit, energy and stories of absent fathers, wounded teens and overall angst that really should not work as well as they do.

4. We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed – Los Campesinos : Cheeky and clever but much more than that. Nihilists on the outside but pop craftsmen at heart, their ruminations on youth’s assured end in dejected failure are all good fun until you stop and realize they’re telling you the party’s going to be over and there’s nothing you can do.

5. Microcastle – Deerhunter : There’s something ethereal about this band and especially this album. Playing with avant garde ideas without sacrificing listenability, these ambassadors of indie keep winning.

6. You and Me – The Walkmen : The Bob Dylan comparisons become ever more pronounced especially with frontman Hamilton Leithauser affecting nasally intonations. Still, their chief appeal is heartfelt, esoteric storytelling, aged and cackling.

7. Skeletal Lamping – Of Montreal : The hype machine finally broke down and Kevin Barnes began to tumble critically while selling out shows. The music, however, is just as inventive and grand as it ever was. Though lacking the darkness of Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Barnes’ latest is rife with the new ideas he keeps discovering and surely will stand more prominently in the cannon once the sobering influence of time takes hold.

8. Modern Guilt – Beck : The dream team of Beck and The Gray Album mastermind Dangermouse creates surprisingly ignored quality tunes. Beck is still haunted by his demons from Sea Change but he still finds time to offer Dangermouse jubilant, sampled pop ditties to wash down the depression.

9. Saturnalia – The Gutter Twins : An album that abounds with apocalypse throughout as two musical legends push each other to the limits of their sensibilities, one high the other low.

10.That Lucky Old Sun – Brian Wilson : A musical legend who seems to be experimenting with the harmonies and arrangements that have fascinated him throughout his career not for the audience’s benefit but his own. The results are as reliably stunning as ever.

Honorable Mention: 808s and Hearbreak – Kanye West, Untitled – Nas, A Larum – Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit, The ‘59 Sound – The Gaslight Anthem

- Vman

I am aware of the gap between my Day One post and my Day Two post, and I apologize to anybody who follows this blog for the delay. You see, on the Monday following Fun Fun Fun Fest I got caught up in another big event: Work Work Work Fest. But now that WWWF is over, I have the time to post some more photos and comments about last Sunday’s lineup, which included Islands (above), St. Vincent, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and others. Honestly, Day Two was a much weaker lineup than Day One in my opinion. But here come some more photos (with commentary!) anyway — hope you enjoy.

THE ANNUALS 

Never heard The Annuals before this, and I kinda showed up toward the end of their set (mistaking them for Spinto Band, at first). But I liked what little I saw, and they definitely were playing to my interests with their multiple percussionists (two drumsets, with other members on tom-tom duty) and a cute, red-headed hipster-girl keyboardist. All they need to be my favorite band would be some really amazing songwriting.

ISLANDS

I really liked Islands’ newest disc, Arm’s Way, and was looking forward to their mid-day slot. Honestly, I’ve got to say I was underwhelmed by the group in person, and I can’t quite figure out why. Musically, they were fine — although “fine” isn’t really much of an endorsement — but it’s almost like Islands had no idea what to do in a festival setting, and some of the more esoteric stuff just came off as timid and unsure. Even the “rock” portions were a little blah, with the exception of “Creeper” and “Jaime Vous Voire Quitter” (although they really started dragging during the latter song’s calypso section — it was teeth-gritting).

I guess I needed more from their live act then a bunch of barely-tolerable affectations and sounding more or less like their record. This is the second show were singer Nicholas Thorburn hasn’t impressed — the first time involved The Unicorns, a club in London, and Karen O. But that’s a story for another blog …

ST. VINCENT

Well, we can safely add Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, to my Indie-Rock Crush Hall of Fame* and we have none other than John Lennon to thank for it. Clark, a former member of both The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens’s group, produces some ornate, pretty, and pleasingly vague pop music, but it was her cover of “Dig a Pony” that won me over. Lennon dismissed the tune as “garbage,” and while I won’t go that far, I will say that “Dig a Pony,” as well as much of Let it Be, isn’t the best stuff The Beatles put out. But Clark had fun with the weird, non-sequitur lyrics and really nailed the “all I want is you” chorus — displaying some pretty solid guitar chops as well. I also give points for not covering an obvious Fab Four tune. And, as if that wasn’t enough, her album Marry Me is a reference to Arrested Development. (Swoons.)

MINUS THE BEAR

Here’s another group that I have a gap in knowledge about. Minus the Bear just never made it onto my radar in a significant way, and “Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse” is the only song of their that I can ever remember hearing. Whether you want to chalk that up to a bad memory or the fact that their songs aren’t very memorable is up to you. To me they sound a little too much like Incubus, with less DJ-ing. I know they’re well-respected, and they’re pretty tight onstage, but they just don’t do much for me. Although, frontman Jake Snider looks just like Alan Moore. So they can’t be all bad.

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was the festival closer (on Stage 1, anyway), but by the end of the weekend it was hard to get that excited about them. I was never a huge fan, although I like some of their songs, particularly “Is This Love,” “Satan Said Dance,” and “Some Loud Thunder.” Singer Alec Ounsworth is indeed as nasal-sounding as he is on record, but it didn’t grate as much as I thought it might. If this portion of the report sounds rather dull, I have to chalk it up to me having to recall the emotions I felt at the show; in this case, it was mild indifference. Fun Fun Fun Fest was pretty fun, overall — despite the dust (and there ended being a lot, not unlike ACL’s dastardly dust plague), crowds, and an OK, occasionally brilliant lineup. They’ve got the market cornered on smallish, cool-weather festivals, and they should keep it from getting to ACL-level proportions, if only so music-loving photographers like myself can stay in the photo pit even after the band’s third song.

*IRCHoF includes Joanna Newsom, Regina Spektor, Leslie Feist, Jenny Lewis, Emily Haines … um, the violinist from Arcade Fire … I should probably stop now. Oh, wait — and Beck’s guitarist!

I guess this is technically a day late but it is still Monday to me, so by my clock, I’m on time.  I have been listening to an array of things for the past couple of days so it has kind of become a mess, but right now I would have to say I am enjoying “Islands”

Islands

The Islands have an interesting tone and mixture in their sound.  They have an almost generic indy guitar rock sound to them, but they have these tribal style drums in the background, laid out over strings, with a tropical feeling during their relaxed times.  They will jump back and forth between a relaxed tone to being full tilt rocking out.  I can almost see it being a soundtrack to a dream where I am being pulled back and forth between a light world where everything is happy and good natured, and another dark seedy underworld where all things are embodied with bad intentions.  There is a conniving tone to it.

I think the most interesting things would be Nicholas Thornburn’s vocals.  It feels like he is enjoying you along this same journey.  His vocals will fluctuate from a beautiful high note to a low whispered cry, then immediately drop to a scream.  He will surprise you an almost Billy Corganish vibe on a few tracks.  He is very talented, as we all know if you have heard the Unicorns, whom he and other Islands band mate Jaime Thompson were members of.

I feel this journey is very well worth it.  Sit back relax, let your mind wonder wherever the music takes you.  That’s what this music is intended for I do believe.  This isn’t background music, it isn’t party music, you almost have to be ready for it to take you away.  I think I just figured out why I didn’t finish my homework.

I recommend “Arm’s Way” by Islands and if you enjoy that check out “Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?” by The Unicorns.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Tengamos algo en cuenta: las 3 de la mañana en una sala medio vacía de guiris despistados y con un técnico de sonido que debía de estar en el lavabo durante las dos o tres primeras canciones no es el mejor momento para un concierto de los canadienses Islands. Sus melodías…

Sus melodías están teñidas de épica, sí, pero también de una sutileza que el sucio sonido de la sala grande de Razzmatazz se encargó de borrar por completo. Aún así, pese a todo, Islands lograron sobreponerse a todo ello y facturar un concierto digno, que en una sala pequeña, con buen sonido y un público que tuviera idea de quién estaba encima del escenario hubiera sido cercano a memorable. Su segundo disco, Arm’s Way, esconde muchos entresijos que merece la pena molestarse en indagar, y temazos como ‘J’aime Vous Voire Quitter‘, ‘The Arm‘ o ‘Pieces of You‘ bien merecen un sonido y entorno mejores. Los dos violines, el saxo en ‘Pieces of You’, los brillantes arreglos de ‘The Arm’,… todo pasó desapercibido por culpa del contexto.

No, no era el día ni el momento, pero si pese a ello el sexteto logró que me los creyera, es que hay algo grande detrás, más allá del hype y de que en Stereogum los adoren. Aunque ahora tocará esperar a que vuelvan y lo demuestren.

Af en toe kom je er gewoon niet uit. Dan moet je een oordeel vellen over een album, maar kom je niet tot een eenduidig besluit. De ene keer ontdek je prachtige dingen, de volgende keer vind je het maar niks. ‘Arms Way’ van Islands is zo’n album.

Islands verrees in 2005 uit de as van de Canadese band Unicorns. Aanvankelijk was het vooral een collectief met Jamie Thompson en Nick Thorburn aan het roer. Violen hadden al van bij het begin een belangrijk aandeel in het geluid van de band. In 2006 hield Thompson de band echter voor bekeken, waarna Thorburn uitdrukkelijk het voortouw in handen nam. De combinatie van gitaarpopliedjes met een serieuze scheut violen is echter gebleven.

Dat wordt al meteen duidelijk bij opener The Arm dat wordt ingeleid door zachte violen om uit te barsten in een pittige riff en een prima refrein. Ook Pieces of You en J’Aime Vous Voir Quitter zijn best goede nummers, al hebben wij de indruk dat het allemaal van het goede een beetje te veel wordt. De eerste vier nummers (dus ook Abominable Snow, een nummer dat al door Unicorns werd gespeeld) zijn te gelijkaardig waardoor de plaat aan het begin een beetje lijkt in te zakken. Je hebt dan ook al gauw de neiging om de skipknop op te gaan zoeken.

Beschouw het als een heet bad. Aanvankelijk zal de hitte je huid rood kleuren en lijkt het of je door duizend naalden wordt geprikt. Eens je de eerste pijn echter hebt doorstaan, wordt het pas echt genieten. Met Creeper gooit de band het meteen over een andere boeg. Een discobeat met daarover een leuk gitaarloopje doet je wakker schieten. Het concept van dit nummer is zo eenvoudig dat het lachwekkend lijkt en toch werkt het.

De eentonigheid van de eerste vier nummers is dan ook in één klap vergeten, want ook Kids Don’t Know Shit loont meer dan de moeite. Dit is gewoon prima popmuziek zonder al te veel franjes. Niet dat het de luisteraar altijd even makkelijk wordt gemaakt. I Feel Evil Creeping In is een donkere song, die je eerst spelend in je hete bad lijkt onder te dompelen om je dan met geweld onder te houden. En Thorburn geniet ervan : “When I behave nobody cares / When I behave badly nobody dares”. Diezelfde donkere gedachten lopen trouwens als een rode draad door dit album.

Nu hebt u misschien de indruk dat wij dit een best een goed album vinden, maar eigenlijk weten we het gewoon niet. Misschien klinkt het beter als je troost zoekt, als je je slecht voelt, maar even goed kan het een prima middeltje zijn om je hoofd uit de wolken te halen. Zeg in elk geval niet dat we u niet gewaarschuwd hebben.

Nick Thorburn was born a Unicorn, but has since become the Magellan of indie-rock. His latest project, Islands, explores uncharted musical waters in search of sunken treasure — and he dredges up plenty of gold this time around.

Arm’s Way (“harm,” pronounced by a French-Canadian tongue, doesn’t have an “h”) maps out a diverse musical continent populated by jagged riffs, tribal drummers, and flesh-eating gnomes. Islands also finally embrace beefed-up production values — but just because they’re on a fancy ship doesn’t mean that their course is any less adventurous. They dip their toes in everything from punk to Afropop (“J’aime Vous Voire Quitter” blends the two seamlessly, in under three minutes!), and toss conventional song structures overboard with glee.

While they may experiment with style, Thorburn never screws with his melodies, and even the most esoteric stuff is laced with pure pop goodness. With its danceable, horror-flick vibe, “Creeper” is impossible to get out of your head — not unlike an axe blade.

Thorburn is clearly obsessed with blood and gore (“I was attacked by a pack of dogs frothing at the mouth/stabbed in the face/glass in my guts”), but his fixation differs from the macho-goth posturing of, say, Cannibal Corpse. Thorburn’s jones for the macabre recalls Goosebumps rather than “Meat Hook Sodomy” — especially when paired with violins and oboes.

The music becomes as grim as the lyrics on the record’s much-slower back end, leading to a serious drop in energy (with the exception of the rave-up codas of “Life in Jail” and “In the Rushes”). Despite the nice touches of chamber pop (“To a Bond”) and the anthemic-but-sleepy “I Feel Evil Creeping In,” it’s here that the band’s proggy sensibilities finally start to wear, culminating in an 11-minute finale that practically dares the listener to skip to the top of the album again.

Arm’s Way isn’t always smooth sailing, but the good stuff is definitely worth braving any choppy waters.

Sirva este noticia para reivindicar el segundo disco de Islands, Arm’s Way, como uno de los discos más inspirados y frescos que he escuchado en lo que llevamos de año. Dicho esto, ahora tenemos una nueva sesión Daytrotter dedicada al sexteto canadiense, con su correspondiente caricatura, su brillante artículo y sus versiones acústicas en exclusiva. Sus canciones no aguantan tan bien el tipo en acústico como las de Death Cab For Cutie, pero la exclusiva ‘Big Ship‘ es una delicia.

I seem to be late on this one, but one of the best compilations I’ve heard in years is Numero Group’s Cult Cargo: Belize City Boil-Up (follow the link to listen to some of the tracks).

It appears to have received some good reviews, and I cant help but echo them. The Harmonettes’ cover of “Shame, Shame, Shame” has been in my brain, brain, brain all day long. The album is a loose collection of reggae, funk, disco and puesdo soul originals and covers from all of places Belize- which prior to checking wikipedia this morning I thought was a city in Guatemala. Turns out its own country. What do I know? The farthest I’ve been in life is to Montreal.

I also came across Space’s Magic Fly.

Its an early electronic album from a french group that hit in the late 70’s. For lovers of spaced out disco in the italo tradition its a great find especially among the genre since its a solid album from start to finish, much akin to Black Devil Disco’s self titled in that respect and in the general feel as it has many creeping effects that pop in and out while still managing to keep it a little funky.

A must have if your riding the recent revival and further modernization of the genre (how do you modernize a genre based on synthesizers?). 

I went to the Middle East Downstairs on Sunday night to see Islands play. I had listened to the Unicorns before, and had given their previous album a listen through a couple times but had no real interest in their music. I went in with little hope of seeing something decent. 

This guy Street Carnage opened for them, but he was so bad that I went upstairs with a friend of mine to get a beer there just so I didnt have to listen to his dumb ass. I felt bad in a sense, as I could see what he was going for working on the dumb masses on the right medium, but that medium was not stand up comedy with a projector.

The Magic opened up next, and I thought they did a great job. I tried to do a quick google search and myspace search but didn’t turn up anything on them except that they are playing in Toronto at some place I already forgot on June 12th. I believe they said they were from Toronto, it almost makes me wish I had picked up their album for the hell of it if I knew I would never be able to locate them again. 

Islands came on and did well to boot. They played a good mix of things off their old album and the new, they definitely had the crowd with them and got it up to a fever pitch during the first song of their encore.

After that first song though, they started to drag out the encore a bit. I was disappointed when I went back to listen to their old album and even when I listened to the new album. Live they had more kick, on the albums though they come across as weak, lame, and impotent. 

Either way I went in their paying 15 bucks to see what I thought was going to be some fruity indie band of which I was only remotely interested to walking out a convert. 

Book wise I managed to sneak in Alan Watts’ Zen and The Beat Way. Despite its corny title and lame beat reference it was an easy read that didnt give me too much information outside of a brief transcript of a radio broadcast he had done where he elaborates on the more artistic side of Zen. The real part that made it worth it to me was his criticism of the Beats as being a bunch of imitators who came in later and modeled themselves after traveling WWII vets of the period. 

This triggered in my own head thoughts of when he mentioned a kind of “accidental” Satori (enlightment) that would occur during war when an individual was absolutely sure they were going to die (heard the wistle of the bomb above head) yet somehow survived (it was a dud). Faced with a circumstance so close death the mind will let go of the ego when it is sure that ego is about to be destroyed and can no longer be clung to. He distinctly mentions that when they returned to the states their relatives would often be totally unable to understand their perspective. 

What I want to know is if World War II vets had these experiences while serving in the south pacific. Did they later get back to port, recall their experiences to locals who were familiar with eastern thought and had words and concepts to describe them only to return home, find no one they could relate to, and end up seeking out means of on going liberation through transplanted Zen masters?

Why am I working a shitty job in a go no where city full of white suburban transplants in search of fucking someone with a perceived similar self identity on the way home from the bar instead of being in grad school for Asian Studies where I could actually spend my time researching my unanswered questions for the benefit of academia?

I’ve been looking for a local buddhist center here in Boston. Its difficult for me to sort out where I should go, which tradition is worth following, and so forth. I’m sure if I go to anyone of them and ask them I will mostly likely hear that they recommend their establishment or something in their own tradition, I need a third party that is well informed on all traditions, and the local centers who can objectively recommend one for me. 

I don’t believe that person exists.

For centers around there appear to be a few notables:

Cambridge Insight Meditation Center - Started by Larry Rosenberg. I found a copy of his book Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation at the Brookline Booksmith. I read about a third of it. He’s in the Theravada tradition. 

Cambridge Buddhist Association – Founded by famous Zen master D. T. Suzuki. Zen tradition. 

Cambridge Zen Center – Again, Zen tradition.

Shambala Boston – Vajrayana/Tibetan tradition. Located in Brookline. 

Kurukulla Buddhist Center – Vajrayana/Tibetan tradition, located out in Medford.  

Shim Gum Do – Korean Zen and martial arts.

Those are the big ones that I turned up. I found some other smaller ones as well. I excluded anything related to Pure Land or faith based Buddhism.

Its difficult for me to know where to start. I feel I have fairly solid grasp of each style with the exception of possibly Vajrayana as I have not finished the John Powers book I have on it yet. 

I seem to have these hangs up about the place being legitimate, and I automatically associate middle class white people with being the embodiment of illegitimacy in virtually every way. This makes me turned off to places like Larry Rosenberg’s group and the Shambala Center that seem to cater to that crowd. I’m leery of anyone who has written a book on the subject, as I feel like they may be going to make money off it and I feel as if someone who has achieved enlightenment wouldn’t feel the need to do write a book if they are coming from the Theravada tradition.

But I don’t honestly know. 

While Zen seems interesting, i’m not sure that it is what I want to go for either. The Kurukulla Center seems to be the most promising but its way out in Medford and if its not accessible by T than its not accessible to me. 

I can go on for awhile about why all the places dont seem like somewhere I want to go but I get the lingering feeling that I’m basing on all these on crazy assumptions that may very well have nothing to do with what is actually the case. Furthermore, I dont know that it necessarily is the instruction that eventually gets you there, I think its more internal than that. According to Watts all that gurus and the like do is trick you into letting yourself achieve it.

All this debate and hesitation could be nothing more than my ego defending itself by playing into the tendency of towards contrarian thoughts that arise in my own mind. 

(photo by Alex Wagner)

The last several years has seen a high-volume of genre-dodging output from our very neighborly neighbors up in Canada. The seminal, noteworthy, and just-plain outstanding Arts & Crafts label has provided homes to some of the most critically acclaimed artists of recent years (Broken Social Scene, Stars, Feist, The Most Serene Republic, etc.), and we need not even mention the innovative explosion of 2004 which surfaced in the form of Arcade Fire.

Islands, of all bands currently on the ‘buzz’ market, are no exception, and fit comfortably alongside many of our aforementioned experimental neighbors. The Montreal-based sextet are revved up for their sophomore release ‘Arm’s Way,’ their first album with ANTI, making them label-mates with Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Neko Case among others. From the preview-sounds available on MySpace (Creeper, and The Arm) they appear to be moving into an area of more lush orchestration, and you can hear vocalist Nick Thorburn pushing his boundaries of personal expression. Considering how well their 2006 debut ‘Return To The Sea’ was received, no doubt their upcoming tour will be well-attended, and hopefully, well-received.

The album will be available for purchase (you can pre-order now) via the usual outlets (iTunes, InSound, Amazon) on 20 May 08 in North America, and 19 May in Europe.

Their extensive upcoming North American tour commences 22 May in support of ‘Arm’s Way.’ Watch the video for ‘The Arm’ below.

Islands homepage

Islands MySpace

Islands first album “Return to the Sea” was generally well received amongst the indie/alternative crowd upon its initial release on April 4, 2006. Often quoted in must-have lists to indie newcomers, Islands have gained a great amount of recognition from their debut album, and rightfully so. The question that many people were asking was whether or not Islands could keep up the brilliance displayed in their first record. The answer, shortly, is yes.

After it was leaked on April 11, 2008, “Arm’s Way” was received with a bit of skepticism and mixed reviews – as most sophomore albums are. I can only add to the pro-Arm’s Way camp, as I find this album interesting and captivating. From the arrangements of the strings and guitars, to Nick Thorburn’s vocals, this albums soars through pop melodies into dark lyrical mysteries. Through clever song structures “Arm’s Way” somehow manages maintain flow throughout the album. Although this album is far from perfect, and at times seems to boarder on predictable, Islands throw enough change into the mix to keep the listener on their toes.

Highlights include: “Abominable Snow”, “Kids Don’t Know Shit” and “To A Bond”, amongst the other great tracks.

Islands new record “Arm’s Way” is scheduled to be released in stores on May 20, 2008.

MP3: “Abominable Snow” – Islands

Again, if you have any requests or comments leave a comment on here or message me on myspace. Thanks :]

Some of these haven’t even releases yet.

Throw Me the Statue – Moonbeams

Radar Bros. – Auditorium

Islands – Arm’s Way

I’m going to put the new My Morning Jacket album, Evil Urges, up in about half an hour. I’m re-upping it right now.

So they pre-released their album cover. And then the album came out. (Well, technically it will be “out” in stores May 20th.) If the cover was any indication, I probably shouldn’t be surprised at the sound associated with that crazy looking cover.

I don’t know what happened to them. Was it the switch to Anti? Or the constantly changing and dropping of band members? Either way they seem to have lost their wit, fun and overall pop essence. If you still are looking for any connection to the Unicorns, forget it. The what- used-to-be-Unicorns seemed to have disintegrated somewhere in the album artwork.

Let’s talk about the artwork. What is it? What’s with it? Is the “epic” artwork an attempt to match their new “epic” rock sound?

“Creeper” brings back the memories of the Island’s glory days from their album Return to the Sea. “Kids Don’t Know Shit” also got my attention. It reminded me slightly more of Arcade Fire than the Islands I knew. Just when you think all is lost, “Life In Jail” breaks into a country-violin-based break down, and just confuses me more.

I know they are changing their sound, I know bands do that from time to time. But, I don’t consider this a smooth or successful transition. They may being taking a step back with this release.

Islands – Rough Gem (from their first album: Return To The Sea)

Rating: C

on arm’s way, islands’ vast ideas have manifested themselves into a strange kind of jangle-prog that doesn’t work as well as one might hope, especially after being teased by the muscular album-opener “the arm.” although the theatricality of this album is a welcome and natural step for islands, it is a shift that happens at the expense of many of the songs, as they frequently feel drawn-out– “j’aime vous voire quitter” would be the shortest song on the album if it wasn’t strangely interrupted by what sounds to be “la bamba.” on return to the sea, islands walked a fine line between schizophrenic and tight melodies, and were successfully able to, given the clever songwriting and lush arrangements; however, even though arm’s way maintains much of the dark themes characteristic of thorburn’s music and attempts to deliver them in a much more aggressive fashion, it meanders by becoming tedious and self-indulgent, making it a challenging listen but not a rewarding one.