The Montreal indie rock band Islands catapulted into the stratosphere of the 'the indie rock movement' - as Jay-Z recently called the popular genre - with their 2006 debut, Return to the Sea. That album, easily one of the best indie debuts of that year, featured contributions from members of Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade.

Island's third album, Vapours, is set for release on September 22 via Anti- Records and marks the return of original band member Jamie Thompson (to the relief of many Islands' fans). The title track of the album has been released by the band for public review. If the song "Vapours" is any indication of the rest of the album, the band is likely to yet again - this time for 2009 - make the best albums of the year list in the next couple of months.

The eclectic, diverse line-up of the band, combined with their infectious, even quirky, sounds and styles, make them one of the most interesting indie bands of recent years. Following Islands' triumphant debut, the band turned around in 2007 with their second album, Arm's Way, a commendable follow-up that offered songs with lush orchestrations (which we all know Canadian indie bands have made much use of in recent years) accompanied by bold guitar driven prog-rock.

Thompson's return to the band for the recording of Vapours is evident just on the title track itself, as it flirts back and forth between moody synthesizers and drum-machine-heavy beats and the classic pop sensibilities and melodic hooks of Return to the Sea. 
The song is incredibly catchy and even danceable, with a sound that is similar to Apples In Stereo's obvious Beatles-influence. For an 'indie' song, it has a seductive pop quality that is likely to be appreciated by a wider audience outside of the band's core fan base.

The new album was produced by Nick Diamond and Chris Coady, who has worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead and TV On The Radio. The band kicks off a five week tour across the states with a show in Tampa at the Ritz Ybor later this month. Check out Islands MySpace page for full concert schedule.

"Vapours" - Islands from Vapours (2009)

"Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby" - Islands from Return to the Sea (2006)

Watch and listen to Islands playing songs from Vapours during an acoustic set on ABC News last month.


Video of Island's 2006 mini-hit single "Rough Gem"

View Islands' profile on Anti- Records' website.

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Labels: Anti Records, Islands, Montreal Bands

The song of the week is one that is well deserving of the honor. If you like edgy, experimental indie pop, check out the quirky Montreal indie band Island's single "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby".

The single is on Island's under-rated and brilliant debut album Return to the Sea, which surprisingly was overlooked by many rock critics, and even many of the indie rock bloggers. It didn't even make most of the top album of the year lists you see everywhere in December and January.

- Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby [mp3]
- Bonus: Volcanoes [mp3]

Buy the album or these tracks individually at iTunes, Amazon or anywhere they sell the group's music!

Islands is a band that is in a perpetual state of flux, formed by Unicorn members Nick Diamonds and J'aime Tambeur. The album is described by Nick as having "some dancehall [sic] influences, some calypso...diverse and sprawling and ambitious...a bit more mature than The Unicorns... more of a Neil Young/Brian Wilson vibe running through it." (quoted from Wikipedia)

The collaboration on the Return to the Sea project included contributions from members of The Arcade Fire and The Wolf Parade.

Following the release of the album, the band went on a series of U.S. and Canadian tours during 2006. Earlier in 2005 they had opened for Beck from time to time and Metric. The critics and fans love the group's live shows. They even played some concerts where they had the concert-goers follow them out of the venue and into the streets in the spirit of the Pipe Piper of Hamelin.

After fans complained enough on blogs and fan sites, the group launched a fairly cool Flash powered official website back in late summer of 2006. The site may be a bit difficult for some (roll the mouse over the name of the band for the sections of the site), but it is a creative and refreshing approach.

No question that official band sites are getting better all the time. They just need to offer more free downloads, videos, interviews and add-ons like alerts when a concert date is added or changed.

Since 2006 wasn't that long ago, we have named Return to The Sea one of IRC's Top 20 albums of the year, and the single "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby," one of the best songs of the year.

You'd think that a song with such a title would be quirky, angry, mocking or what have you. But it's a true indie gem - oozing with waves of melodies, catchy riffs and memorable chorus harmonies. You may even find yourself tapping your foot. It's a great song to play when stuck in rush hour traffic or you need a picker-upper.

Warning: If you are a total hard-core indie punk or monster rocker, then you'd probably want to smash this CD if it was in front of you, but chill out my friend, we have plenty on damn good indie rock and punk on this site for you too.

Labels: Beck, Islands, The Arcade Fire, The Unicorns, Wolf Parade