Islands - Return To The Sea (Rough Trade)
4/5
By: Chris O'Toole
Every party has to end. For the Unicorns, the inevitable happened after the release of 2003's 'Who Will Cut Our Hair When We Are Gone?', as the lo-fi indie-rock travelling circus came off the road and the clowns and jesters ran for cover. Guitarist Alden Penner could not be found after the accident, and remains missing in action, but drummer J'aime Tambeur and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Nick Diamonds regrouped, founding Islands to continue the adventure.
Spreading the rumour that their new work was influenced by Paul Simon's 'Gracelands' increased interest in potential new music from the duo, and when 'Return To The Sea' was released this year, fans were not found disappointed. The album is a free-range collection of deceptively simple, shimmering, elegant pop melodies, coated in thick layers of production to create something altogether richer and more rewarding than the previous hectic, frenetic creations of the Unicorns.
An album crammed with innocent disguise and run and hide, 'Return to the Sea', sees the band refusing to settle in a single location, cruising across their ocean in search of adventure, sampling local delights before moving on in search of fresh pastures. The slow burning opener 'Swans' is content to saunter along in the sunshine for close to six minutes before Tambeur finally releases the track, shifting in gear and transforming the steady drum beat into a invigorating release. The band is very heavily schooled in music, with only front man Nick Diamonds self taught, and this ability shines as they acquit themselves valiantly in a range of styles; from calypso on 'Jogging Gorgeous Summer' (conceived after a visit to a childhood home and named after an inscription written by Diamond's younger sister many years before), through even to straightforward rap on 'Where There's A Will A Whale'.
Despite such highlights, the standout track is however 'Don't Call Me Whitney Bobby', which comes very close to achieving the bands stated agenda of creating that perfect pop song. An exhaustive exploration of sound, and reportedly inspired by "a general feeling of sunshine, feeling good, sitting in the back seat of a car and hearing a song for the first time on the radio and feeling warm", the track rattles through numerous tempo changes and lyrical nuances without ever losing sight of the euphoric melody upon which it is based.
As an album, 'Return to the Sea' is very difficult to take out of the stereo on a summers day, perfect for a liberating listen in the warm sun. Lucky then, that after the demise of the Unicorns, rumour has it that Islands are forever.
Artists in this article: Islands, Islands Lost At Sea
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