Unicorns became
one of the first truly touted Canadian acts of
the past few years – the indie pop three-piece’s
debut Who Will Cut Out Hair When We’re Gone? was
revered before the likes of Broken Social Scene,
Arcade Fire, the Dears et al burst onto the public
consciousness. Sadly, the group only lasted a short
while, splintering apart.
Islands represent Nicholas Diamonds
and Jaime Tambour, two-thirds of Unicorns, but
the sound is removed
from that group. It’s a slightly tougher sound to
its predecessor, with opener “Swans (Life After Death)” going
through several stages throughout its nine minute
evolution, ending with the sort of lead guitar whig-out
that would make Neil Young and Crazy Horse proud.
The indie pop “Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby” is an
easy pleaser, with a nice steady rhythm and a catchy
chorus.
Islands do it well, but essentially
it’s very much
a streamlined version of what the Unicorns delivered – “Rough
Gem” is straighter than anything that that group
ever did, while the instrumental “Tsuxiit” is a great
listen. Hip-hoppers Subtitle and Busdriver come out
to play on “Where There’s a Will There’s a Whalebone”,
while Will Butler from Arcade Fire acts as ‘marching
band’ on the track.
The sound of Return to the Sea is
not that far removed from the Flaming Lips with
the way it
pulses with strong rhythm within a powerful song
structure. Less lo-fi than Unicorns, Islands most
certainly charms its way into the listener’s life
through its songs. Whilst the amazing reviews coming
out of America are a touch over-the-top – the album
is merely a good indie pop album, rather than something
truly groundbreaking – it’s certainly the case that
Islands have released a strong debut that gives them
a great platform from which to build.