Islands : Arm's Way

  Aaron Harris - Percussion, Drums, Vocals
  Alex Chow - Synthesizer, Percussion, Violin, Viola
  Nick Thorburn - Guitar, Vocals
  Patrice Agbokou - Bass
  Patrick Gregoire - Guitar, Clarinet (Bass)
  Sebastian Chow - Piano, Violin, Oboe, Vocals

Islands' Arm's Way isn't a complete disaster, but it flirts with it before ending up as merely a seriously flawed and unenjoyable album. Their debut was a ramshackle mess of kitchen-sink experimentation that worked a treat thanks to the band's endearingly weird arrangements and undeniably catchy songs. Much like an album by front man Nick Thorburn's previous band, the Unicorns, there was humor and devil may care attitude coursing through the grooves. Arm's Way makes the mistake of taking things more seriously, bathing songs in strings and arranging things so slickly and epically that you have to check the liners for a Dave Fridmann production credit. It's not there but it might as well be as large chunks of the record sound like Mercury Rev outtakes. Unfortunately like that band's late period releases, there's a hole where the soul should be. Tracks like 'The Arm' and 'Kids Don't Know Shit' sound bloated and Thorburn's constant bouts of dramatic over-singing give the album a desperate and affected feel. One of the best aspects of their first album was the playful sonic weirdness that was organically integrated into their sound; here it seems grafted on at the last minute. The faux-Latin jam in the middle of 'J'Aime Vous Voir Quitter' sounds like Buster Poindexter wandered into the studio, and the bit on 'In the Rushes' where they lift the conclusion of the Who's 'A Quick One While He's Away' only serves to remind you of how it's possible to be epic without being over-bearing and cold; these attempts at adventurism fall embarrassingly flat. The songs that do work on Arm's Way are the few that strip back the bombast and show a little bit of restraint like the slinky disco rocker 'Creeper,' the relatively calm and melodic 'To a Bond,' or the melancholy ballad 'Life in Jail,' which incorporates the strings and oboe into the fabric of the song instead of just splashing them on top. Well, the first half of the song, anyway, until they break into a silly swing jam and then proceed to head back to the more familiar over-the-top territory of the rest of the record. Arm's Way is the sound of a band forgetting what made them fun and highly listenable and instead grasping for a grand statement that is far beyond their reach. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide

Islands is the aftermath of the breakup of popular experimental lofi indie rock band the Unicorns, members Nicholas Thorburn (aka Nick Diamonds on vocals, guitar, keyboard) and Jaime Thompson (aka J'aime Tambeur on drums) which found the two more focused on brighter production and neopsychedelic indie pop. Since forming in early 2005, the Canadian band has also featured a fluctuating lineup of contributors on a wide variety of instruments, both live and on record. That list includes Alex and Sebastian Chow (the 1993 and 1994 World Super NES Fest champions), Jim Guthrie (grandson of Woody and nephew of Arlo) and rappers Subtitle and Busdriver.