{"id":39769,"date":"2006-05-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-05-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/return-to-the-sea\/"},"modified":"2006-05-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-05-23T00:00:00","slug":"return-to-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/return-to-the-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Return To The Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Though this is the debut album for Islands, they’re
\nhardly newcomers to the music scene; Islands is the rebirth of The
\nUnicorns, a Canadian indie band founded in 2000 that released three
\nalbums before imploding and scattering into different directions.
\nIslands was formed by vocalist Nicholas Thorburn (alias Nick
\nDiamonds) and Jamie Thompson (J’aime Tambeur) on drums. The rest of
\nthe band features a constantly rotating roster of players,
\nincluding Sarah Neufeld and Richard Perry on violin and upright
\nbass, from The Arcade Fire.<\/p>\n

Return To The Sea<\/i> is erratic, to say the
\nleast. Or, according to Diamonds, “more diverse and sprawling and
\nambitious.” It leaps from calypso to spurts of rock that can only
\nbe described as jaunty and then to hip-hop for a brief interlude.
\nOnly a few seconds into this album, I had a friend question why I
\nwas listening to space-age alien techno; thankfully, that’s one
\ngenre Islands has left out.<\/p>\n

The disc opens with “Swans (Life After Death),” a
\nswirling, epic track with gorgeously messy orchestration. It’s a
\nsomewhat unlikely opener, clocking in at over nine minutes, but
\nIslands make it work with their mix of quietly effective, plaintive
\nlyrics and soaring soundscapes.<\/p>\n

Islands never seem to stay rooted down for long,
\nthough, reworking the feel set by “Swans” into the strangely bouncy
\node to the destruction of civilization, “Humans.” The starkly
\nhaunting lyrics are offset by music that would’ve sounded right at
\nhome in The Arcade Fire’s debut, Funeral<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Next up is “Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby,” which,
\neven though it’s lacking a chorus like the entire disc, is
\ninstantly catchy regardless, cheerful even with its refrain,
\n“Bones, bones, brittle little bones \/ It’s not the milk you seek \/
\nIt’s the sun you need.”<\/p>\n

“Rough Gem,” which is beginning to garner airplay, is
\nanother notable point of Return To The Sea<\/i>, whose main riff
\nis played by almost-cartoon synths, keyboards and plucked violin
\nstrings throughout the song’s length. Meanwhile, Diamonds plays on
\nhis own nickname with lyrics like “They want me raw and smooth like
\nglass \/ They want it fast but they don’t want flaws \/ I’m a girl’s
\nbest friend \/ Can you cut, I can cut, ’cause I’m a rough gem.”<\/p>\n

Other standouts are “Jogging Gorgeous Summer,” the
\naptly-titled foray into calypso; the lazily paced, mellow “If” and
\n“Ones,” which ends the album with a dark, almost Radiohead feel
\nwith crashing symbols and ending with the line “We all live in our
\nheads, our legs, our toes, our eyes, our throats, homes\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6”
\nbefore a long fadeout.<\/p>\n

The best thing about Islands is that they’re always
\ncharting new waters, never anchoring Return To The Sea<\/i> for
\ntoo long before searching out new ground. It’s definitely an
\nenjoyable ride.<\/p>\n

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