Islands - Return to the Sea

[Jolly Bengali]

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000ELJAU6.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

The Unicorns sequel album is finally here, although the oink torrenters and such probably have had it for months. What do people think? It's really interesting, "Rough Gem" is a stand-out. Not sure if it's better than The Unicorns, but still good stuff.

[Rowdy]

I like it a lot better than The Unicorns album, which did nothing for me. This is one of my favorite albums of the year, actually. Should have no problem making many Top Ten lists.

[George]

i'm not a fan, and never heard of the islands, but are the stones on the cover supposed to look like the sydney opera house?

[Rowdy]

Hah. Good eye. But yeah, you should hear it. Especially because your last.fm sig is filled with mainstream choices. I was once in your position as well, but believe me, seek out the underground!

[Wall E. Weasel]

i was hoping for more busdriver and subtitle. pretty flawless overall though, everything lives up to the promise of rough gem.

[brancely]

i saw them live opening for metric. great stuff

[box elder]

i've had this for a few months now, and i dig it. it doesn't have the same sense of not taking itself too seriously that i really loved about the unicorns, but it's still a solid album. the middle is the low point for me, and i think subtitle and busdriver were poorly utilized (their vocals are way too low in the mix, for one thing). i'm not sure how i feel about half the songs being known unicorns songs. on the one hand, it's cool that these songs got a fair chance and didn't just kind of disappear into the between bands ether, as it were. but it's also a little cheesy to be using songs that were performed by your previous band many times (and in some cases even demo'd). i also would have liked to see “abominable snow” on there and i added it to my version (i also cut out all that rain sounds bullshit – what is this 1993? we don’t need gay “hidden tracks” at this point, people).

anyway, i think in some ways it's kind of unfair to compare this to the unicorns. and taken on its own, i think it's a good album and (assuming this incarnation doesn't implode after 1 lp) islands has real potential.

[Jolly Bengali]

Very good call on the mix for the rap parts, I had only vageuly noticed that.

An EP with any leftover Unicorns stuff and "Abominable Snow" would be very cool to see.

[SideshowTim]

bones, bones brittle little bones.

i've had that line stuck in my head for weeks. can't get it out!

[doyle]

will probably be lost in my mix by the end of the year. pretty damn good, but nowhere near the unicorns. doesn't stand out among everything out all that much.

[Jimmy]

egarly waiting this ones release in the shops...

[George]

so eagerly that you can't type properly?!

[Jimmy]

yes..indeed, i have to improve my speling