Nick Diamond's polymorphous pop band, Islands, is back with their third studio album, Vapours: a collection of fun, highly listenable tunes that effortlessly intertwine Motown grooves, electro-Krautrock analog synths, and even some slinky horn chants. All this over Nick Diamonds' undeniable melodies, giving us one of the best collections of modern pop songs since David Byrne rolled out the big suits. Long-time fans of the Unicorns will be ecstatic to learn that Jaime Thompson has returned for Vapo   [ read more ]

MP3 $10.49

Other people also bought:

Grand Archives  Keep In Mind Frankenstein, Built to Spill  There Is No Enemy, The Flaming Lips  Embryonic

Montreal's Islands flower from the same scene that gave us Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade. Their Anti debut finds them in full command of a palette of classic pop colorings, from the 70s rock heroics of 'The Arm' to the slinky cinematic pop of 'I Feel Evil Creeping In'.

MP3 $7.99

Other people also bought:

Themselves  The No Music, The Futureheads  The Futureheads, Grizzly Bear  Yellow House

'After the breakup of popular experimental lo-fi indie rock band the Unicorns, members Nicholas Thorburn (aka Nick Diamonds; vocals, guitar, keyboard) and Jaime Thompson (aka J'aime Tambeur; drums) formed Islands, which found the two more focused on brighter production and neo-psychedelic 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 1   [ read more ]

MP3 $3.15

Other people also bought:

Emperor Penguin  Damn!, Majhas  Majhas, Two Dollar Guitar  Insound Tour Support Series, Vol. 8

Hailing from Montreal, Islands is a 7 piece band founded by former Unicorns front man Nick Diamonds and drummer J'aime Tambeur. Probably Nick's most accessible work to date, this album picks up where the Unicorns left off and, without departing from their unique and peculiar appeal, takes things to new heights.

MP3 $9.99

Other people also bought:

Junior Boys  So This is Goodbye, Headlights  Kill Them With Kindness, Andrew Bird  Armchair Apocrypha

'The Arm' is a disembodied harbinger of death, from what I can gather, which turns the protagonists' partner into 'a lifeless carcass in a badass car crash.' It's the 'badass' that stops the line from being morbid, and that makes the rhyme. The use of 'badass' to defuse what was almost a truly gruesome image has been a signature Thorburn move since the Unicorns. Change up the hooks before they get old, interrupt sentiment with absurdity, cut a letter off the front end and make the cliches new. -paperthinwal   [ read more ]

MP3 $2.10

Other people also bought:

Cotti | King Soly  The Search | Takeover, Motorhead  Overkill, Talking Heads  Remain in the Light