“The Arm“
from the album Arm’s Way
2008
iTunes
Emerging from the ashes of the Unicorns in 2006, Islands’ calling card arrived in the shape of Return to the Sea, a first offering brimming with hooks, intrigue and sunny melodies. Featuring guest players from Canadian indie royalty Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade, a fantastic debut it was — peppered with sly humour, graced with longevity and marked by an adventurous, playful approach. Since then co-founding member Jamie Thompson (aka J’aime Tambeur) has departed leaving Aaron Harris to take the reins behind the drum-kit, the band now standing at a sextet. So what’s changed? Well, Arm’s Way is an expansive piece of work: long (68 minutes), loud, and menacing, it sounds both pointedly different to Return… and at odds with anything 2008 has offered thus far.
The band set their stall with “The Arm.“ An introductory clatter of swelling strings, dappled cymbals and cocksure yelp from Nick Thorburn precedes his forewarning “Breathe in deep…” — good advice indeed, as what ensues is hard to fathom in one sitting. Sweeping violins combine with a powerful, strident guitar lick that billows proceedings in dramatic (and yes, breathtaking) fashion. Strings flutter in graceful downward spirals, ivories are tinkled in breaks between the recurring central motif and Thorburn’s vocals are relayed in a none-more-forthright manner. Immediately there is a level of focus — of sheer ambition — on display that shadows anything on Return to the Sea, and the band’s ability to maintain this throughout is nothing short of astonishing.