Link to the Show / Show Notes
I surprise myself how many times I mistakenly refer to this band as The Unicorns. Now why would I do such a thing? Well because this band is actual two thirds Unicorn. Yes, The Islands are the official next project of half of everybody’s favourite quirky singing duo. Unicorns’ singer Nicholas Thorburn and drummer Jamie Thompson formed the band after the 2004 break-up and while similarities may be drawn, this is a brand new project, complete with a new sound. Speaking of new sound, some of their songs even feature a couple of rappers coming in and strutting their stuff. This just one example of the variety of sounds they produce, a variety that works quite well. Their debut album, Return To The Sea, has been receiving high rotation in my cd player and I highly recommend it. Here are a couple of songs off it:
Rough Gem– This was what you would call the typical single on the album. Short, sweet and minimally abstract it’s perfectly suited to airplay. It is also the first song I liked off the album, probably do to those mentioned reasons. But what this song really has going for it is Nick’s vocals. This may sound odd, but I simply love it when he has to strain his voice. He unleashes this dormant power to perfection. While will likely be an early favourite, I encourage you to listen closely to the other songs, whose quirkiness you will surely warm to.
Swans (Life After Death)– In contrast to Rough Gem this is the epic of the album. It feels a bit odd at track one as you feel like three songs have passed before you get to the 2nd track but never-the-less it is a great track. It does suit the opening track as it is a nice warm up. Just when you think the pace is getting to a critical point, it pulls back to a calm melody – another great song.is this what i think?
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