SOSUS

The debut album by the Islands, Return to the Sea, has turned out to be a really impressive collection of songs. Started by Nick Diamonds and J'aime Tambeur, both members of the now defunct band The Unicorns, attempt to blend a wide variety of musical styles together, including hip hop, calypso, folk, and rock. The album is very distinctive, while still remaining reminiscent of The Unicorns album, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

The album begins with the song "Swans (Life After Death)", which is a medium tempo jaunt primarily driven by drums and piano. The lyrics are simple yet really compelling, especially with lines like, "I climbed into the blowhole /In the ribs I found you / With a wick we lit a flame / Now look at the smoke that it blew". The song ends with a nice break from the repetitive drumming and piano riff, adding a level of complexity to the final statement, "I'm thankful for my life". I really like this touch at the end, its a good example of how the elements of the song (tempo, rhythm) can affect the meaning of the lyrics.

My personal favorites on the album are the songs "Rough Gem", "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby" and "Where There's a Will There's a Whalebone". "Rough Gem" is a more traditional rock song, with Nick Diamonds playing with his surname, creating lyrics such as, "I'm a girl's best friend / can you cut I can cut / 'cause I'm a rough gem!" This song has a great break just before the lyrics "Dig deep but don't dig too deep", which is similar to the song "Swans (Life After Death)" as it leaves behind the main beat of the song and strips down only to build up again. "Where There's a Will There's a Whalebone" is more of a departure from the rest of the album, lacking the kind of calypso influence of the rest of the album. It features the rappers Subtitle and Busdriver, who rap faster than anyone I have ever heard before.

The album as a whole is really well put together, and a joy to listen to. If you haven't heard it yet, I suggest you check them out!

UPDATE: Seems J'aime Tambeur (real name Jamie Thompson) has decided to leave the band Islands, saying, "I'm just not sure that being in a successful band is all that important to me anymore. I'm not leaving because of any problems with people in the band. It's very hard to do this, Nick and I have been creating together for a long time now... our relationship, both creative and personal is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life." Nick Diamonds has assured fans that the band will continue to move on, saying, "Jamie has left Islands, but the band waltzes on! We wish Jamie the best in his new life. Islands are forever."


http://www.islandsareforever.com/