Artist: Islands
Album: Vapours
Year: 2009
Grade: 2.5 pretzels
Nick Thorburn has come a long way from his days in the Unicorns. He’s developed a better grasp of songwriting, worked with all kinds of high-profile indie musicians and just generally matured as a musician. However, a few things seem like they’ll never change. With Vapours, his third album with his post-Unicorns band Islands, Thorburn is still recording pastel-colored pop, shot through with quirky details and Nick’s thin, nasal voice. He’s clearly found an artistic space where he feels comfortable and he’s spent three albums poking at these self-imposed musical definitions. However, comfort isn’t always a good thing in music and Islands’ music is starting to sound very monotonous.
Islands’ sophomore album, Arm’s Way, was not much of a success. The solid, enjoyable pop songs of the band’s debut were replaced with overlong, overly complicated tracks that sprawled for miles in every direction, without any real reason. As usual, the album sounded lovely and dream-like, but it needed more. Vapours retreats to the other end of this spectrum. Stripped down and much more minimal than anything Islands have recorded up to this point, Vapours replaces the strings and multilayered instrumentation with crisp, electronic beats and gritty guitar riffs. Yet, once again, the album lacks something. There’s no spark, no magic in these songs. They sound like Islands-by-numbers.
There was a bit of excitement surrounding Vapours’ release, since founding drummer Jamie Thompson was finally returning to the band after leaving in 2006. Thorburn and Thompson have been working together all the way back to the days of the Unicorns, so Thompson’s return made long-time fans of their work quite pleased. Sadly, Thompson’s presence on the album is barely felt. I’m sure he’s there, being the awesome, dexterous drummer he always has been, but the sharp, clattering, programmed beats don’t give him many chances to shine.
The album does have a few high points. The album’s mid-point duo, the ominous “Shining” and the evocatively dreamy “On Foreigner” are great compliments to each other and show promising new directions the band could take. The same goes for “No You Don’t”, the stomping, moody dance number at the beginning of the album. Unfortunately, beyond those three songs, very little emerges from the album’s forty minutes of fuzzy pop cloudiness. There’s not enough to distinguish one song from the next and the album struggles to hold your attention. Coming on the heels of another disappointing album, it’s easy to become very cynical about Islands’ future. The return of Jamie Thompson was nice, but some good music would be even better.
Islands’ sophomore album, Arm’s Way, was not much of a success. The solid, enjoyable pop songs of the band’s debut were replaced with overlong, overly complicated tracks that sprawled for miles in every direction, without any real reason. As usual, the album sounded lovely and dream-like, but it needed more. Vapours retreats to the other end of this spectrum. Stripped down and much more minimal than anything Islands have recorded up to this point, Vapours replaces the strings and multilayered instrumentation with crisp, electronic beats and gritty guitar riffs. Yet, once again, the album lacks something. There’s no spark, no magic in these songs. They sound like Islands-by-numbers.
There was a bit of excitement surrounding Vapours’ release, since founding drummer Jamie Thompson was finally returning to the band after leaving in 2006. Thorburn and Thompson have been working together all the way back to the days of the Unicorns, so Thompson’s return made long-time fans of their work quite pleased. Sadly, Thompson’s presence on the album is barely felt. I’m sure he’s there, being the awesome, dexterous drummer he always has been, but the sharp, clattering, programmed beats don’t give him many chances to shine.
The album does have a few high points. The album’s mid-point duo, the ominous “Shining” and the evocatively dreamy “On Foreigner” are great compliments to each other and show promising new directions the band could take. The same goes for “No You Don’t”, the stomping, moody dance number at the beginning of the album. Unfortunately, beyond those three songs, very little emerges from the album’s forty minutes of fuzzy pop cloudiness. There’s not enough to distinguish one song from the next and the album struggles to hold your attention. Coming on the heels of another disappointing album, it’s easy to become very cynical about Islands’ future. The return of Jamie Thompson was nice, but some good music would be even better.
I haven't heard Arm's Way, but Vapours is definitely a disappointment. After a couple listens nothing really impresses me. It's all pretty bland, which I never thought I would say about Nick Diamonds' music. I guess the fact that he is no longer going by his stage name should be an indication that his music has become more accessible.
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