Despite the loss of Jaime Tambeur who parted ways in 2006, citing a loss of interest in being in a band, Islands continue on with their second release under this moniker. Could Jaime’s departure be because of the ever maturing trajectory of their music? Parts of the album certainly suggest that the parting was not entirely amicable – see ‘J’aime Vous Voire Quitter’! Sample lyric: “You said you had my back, but I was attacked by a pack of dogs frothing at the mouth” and “it’s such a shame, shame, shame. Shame on you.”
Whereas Unicorns were nerdy, twee, sunny, funny and minamalist and the first Islands album (‘Return To The Sea’) grew that sound with additional accompaniment, ‘Arms Way’ builds further and boasts a bolder, fuller, serious outlook. However, where they have succeed in bolstering the sound they have also compromised a lot of the qualities that were present in abundance on the previous releases. From being a unique, charming and amusing band, they now sound generic and quite frankly dull, especially as they have lost the tunes that would have aided a meteoric rise in popularity.
The result then is a hodge podge of popular indie stylings; a pinch of Vampire Weekend here (‘J’Aime Vous Voire Quitter’, ‘Kids Don’t Know Shit’), a dash of obligatory Arcade Fire there (‘Abominable Snow’) and the vocals of HHH (Ok, not so popular!). There are certainly moments of sing-a-long glory (end of ‘Life In Jail’), where you can imagine a full tent at a festival screaming at the top of their pubescent voices. However these come few and far between. ‘Pieces of You’ starts off like the long lost indie cousin of Stevie Wonders ‘Superstition’ before becoming a catchy, jaunty stomp. ‘To A Bond’ / ‘I Feel Evil Creeping In’ suggest that they can pull off a more mature and mainstream sound, but apart from that nothing really grabs attention.
Overall then the first impression is that it’s worth a listen, however it may be that it will benefit by repeated listening, at which point you’ll probably have the melodies niggling at the back of your head as you try and ignore what your boss, teacher or partner is talking at about.
Top Tracks: ‘To A Bond’, ‘I Feel Evil Creeping In’, ‘J’aime Vous Voire Quitter’
Released 20/05/08 on Rough Trade
