Hey, I just wanted to get people's opinions on this album. I haven't been able to get it off soulseek yet, so I want to know what I'm missing.

For those of you who don't know, the Islands are comprised of ex-members of the Unicorns, who put out the best indie pop album of the decade thusfar.

I wholeheartedly agree with you about the Unicorns record. I think its better than any other highly hyped/reviewed Canadian indie record with the exception of You Forgot it in People.

The Islands' myspace page has 4 songs off the new record and I think all are great. I can't wait to pick up their cd.

It's a very good album, one of my favorites of the year so far. It caught me by surprise because first of all, I had no idea it was coming out so soon, and secondly, it's about as good as the Unicorns' previous work.

It's more polished and less thematically tied to unicorns, but it sounds like a natural progression. Great stuff, highly recommended especially if you like the Unicorns.

Awesome album. The songs are pretty poppy and sound like the band spent a ton of time working on them. A ton of ideas all over the place.. it sounds like each song is rooted in a different genre. Comes off as pretty original and exciting on the whole, and every song is good to great.

I've only given the album two listens, but it seems a lot more mature in theme and arrangement than the unicorns stuff. Also I think I'm going to have a lot of fun identifying the different instruments used on this album. Deserving of a unique labeling. Will probably end up being one of 2006's best records (at least so far it seems that way)

Who do they sound like?So i can see if thay make music i may like.

quote:

Originally posted by buraj.n:
Who do they sound like?So i can see if thay make music i may like.

I think the lead singer sounds a lot like Ben Gibbard. Musically...they run the gammut. A little bit of everything. Piano, weird, electronic beats, nice acoustic strumming, some pop, kettle drums, eerie psychedelic jams, country licks, violins. You know, your basic indie band. They sound good, all of their songs are cohesive and well constructed.

Hudson, I would agree that he sounds a little bit like Ben Gibbard, but a lot more punk sounding. Maybe I'm still reeling from his voice with the Unicorns, but I think he's got a little more grit than Ben Gibbard. Thoughts?

I'm going to disagree with the Ben Gibbard comparison, and resist the temptation to pick another person's voice from thin air to compare with how Nick Diamond's voice on this album. I know that the way people get into 'new things' is by comparing them to 'old things' or 'similar things', but I think the practice is just overused.

I wouldn't say that Nick Diamond has range, but his voice is consistent and goes really well with the rest of the music. Maybe in that aspect his singing is similar to Ben Gibbard's Postal Service stuff, the voice fits in snuggley with the beat, melody, everything, establishing a tone. IMHO, the tone of this album is a little melancholy, a little romantic, a little desperate, and a little ironic, in an atmosphere of post-apocalyptic survivor's guilt.
The music shifts like tectonic plates, each movement affecting the next, unfolding slowly, in some mysterious way. The spirits of Caplypso and Bluegrass are invoked. A refreshing listen, especially when you start to hear the recurring musical themes, that add to the albums ambiance.
One of the best albums of 2006, so far, and at least in my record player, will be the standard I judge the rest of this years releases with.

If anyone has the opportunity to see Islands live, go check it out. These guys are really, really tight live, especially for a 7 piece or whatever they are. They sound really good.

quote:

more polished and less thematically tied to unicorns, but it sounds like a natural progression. Great stuff, highly recommended especially if you like the Unicorns.

Yay!(an outburst, not to be confused with the Metacritic user).

I'm going to see them tonight! (this is the 3rd post i've mentioned it in. Am I excited? (answer: yes.))

The indie hype for these Canadian bands continues to mystify me. I was never a big fan of the Unicorns, but I liked their album more than this one. Islands is like the Unicorns, but not as much fun. They do put together 3 pretty good songs on tracks 3-5, but that's about all I like from it.

What does being Candadian have to do with anything?

Well, there was an earlier thread where we discussed the growing popularity of a number of Canadian indie bands. I said then that I don't really like any of them, and this album--while better than most of the hyped Canadian indie stuff--just solidifies my dislike for the whole lot of Canadian indie bands.

I just bought Return to the Sea and Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? by the Unicorns. This is the greatest music I have ever listened to. Nothing can even compare to how amazing it truely is.

The live show was a little bit of a let down. They are too tight. I don't hate hyper-polished bands. It was still good though. Islands are very good, Canadian or not.

I saw them live a couple of months ago with Metric... I thought they were pretty good. Bought the album after I saw the show.

Also, he doesn't sound like Ben Gibbard.

i love that album.bought it that year n its already in the top 5 of my favorite 2006 albums.
a masterpiece.in my opinion its up with the unicorns & arcade fire!
"swans(life after death" is my favorite track n (by any canadian band so far!).

Couldn't agree with you more. I was just listening to it again today, and it still holds up. I can't explain why it got dissed at P4k.

quote:

Originally posted by kendocubano:
Couldn't agree with you more. I was just listening to it again today, and it still holds up. I can't explain why it got dissed at P4k.

Are you talking about Islands? It got an 8.4, which is not exactly being "dissed", is it? Unless you have incredibly high standards, in which case I point you over to the "Will P4K give a perfect 10.0 this year?" thread.