Islands May 8, 2006

Location(s)

Vive la Islands! And Freebird, Too.
Islands
Loveland
May 8, 2006

Islands, brain child of former Unicorns Nick Diamonds and J’amie Tambeur, provided Portlanders with an intimate session at the Loveland International on Monday, May 8th, 2006, playing mostly tracks from their freshman album Return To The Sea along with two unreleased songs. The meager showing of fans was a bit discerning, and among those crowding below the stage were the teenage fan base who looked hip but knew hardly any of the lyrics. Not that the crowd behind me was any better. Older and not as eager to scream and sway back and forth, yes, but knowledge of Islands and their material, no.

Islands did all they could to foster any sign of life from the audience. Walking out on stage in their trademark white outfits, adorning more casual t-shirts with splashes of color this time around, Nick geared up to whisper into his mic the opening words, but was interrupted by a shouter, whom Nick summoned towards the stage. After coaxing him close enough, Nick grabbed his white beanie, placed it on his head and began singing. He grabbed tote bags and sweatshirts from the teenage girls next to the stage and tossed them towards the drums. Next he grabbed a kid’s glasses, sporting them for the duration of the song until he threw them on the floor, nearly stepping on them. A casual, “Oops”, and he handed them back. My friend looked at me and said, “I think they’re trashed.” Probably, but they wanted to have a good time, and they did. It was obvious that they wanted the audience to go crazy, too.

Researching previous performances on their “Islands Are Forever” tour, I was pumped at the opportunity to see the seven piece band go crazy, perform a twenty minute encore, then unplug their instruments and lead the crowd into the streets to dance and play on cars, stopping traffic until the authorities arrive. It had been done in various locations in the previous month, and with an all ages crowd, surely the energy could flood the evening. However, the crowd reserved their screams and shouts and rather than connecting with my beloved Islands, we observed their precocious stage presence. How could their spectacle not catch one’s attention?

Exercising their gimmicks early on, Islands finally rolled forth with “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Whalebone,” a thickly rhythmed, fully encompassing tangent far from, but true to Islands sound. Similar in structure to Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc.” “Whalebone” hits with a steady, ready to explode beat and soon follows with a switch in gear to free formed, tongue twisting stylings from Cadence Weapon and Busdriver, the opening acts, along with an improv verse from the band’s merchandiser/roadie, in celebration of his 21st birthday. “How many roadies do ya' know that can do that?” asked Nick after the audience finally snapped out of their comatose state.

Now that the band and audience had connected, the show’s synergy blended into a fulfilling music experience. “Don’t Call me Whitney, Bobby” kept the bodies bouncing with it’s happy-pop infused melody, while “Tsuxiit,” a purely instrumental number, had us glowing in the reverent talents of all members, whether strumming guitars, plucking violins, fingering a bass clarinet, or delicately attacking the cymbals. “Jogging Gorgeous Summer” pulsated through the crowd with the Chow brothers (no relation, but both playing strings) jumping around and clapping to the ironic island inspired number while Nick stumbled around onstage donning sunglasses and a sweater he borrowed from the crowd.

“Swans,” a nine minute track on the album, wrapped itself up after a 14 minute “Freebird” inspired jam. Playing his violin above his head one second, plucking it like a feather the next, Alex Chow, danced and clapped, playing Casanova to his violin; a pure spectacle in his own right. Sebastian Chow, fellow string member, fiercely concentrated his efforts, alongside Patrick on the clarinet, Patrice on bass, and Jim on guitar. The Freebird reference afterward brought me back to reality when only a few laughs were scattered throughout the crowd. Oh yeah, I forgot; I’m surrounded by pimply faced, squeaky tweens.

Convenient but equally disappointing, they skipped their stage exit and simply announced that the next three songs were their encore. “Volcanoes” displayed the epitome of Islands, ebbing and flowing verse to verse with syncopated bass and fully loaded strings pounding along with J’aime’s drums. The ho-down beat matched with instrumental and lyrical profoundness similar to that of the Arcade Fire’s “Crown of Love” had me, along with the other handful of devotees, screaming the words, hoping to get a smile, or even a nod from the band. Thanks, Alex! The band wrapped up their encore with their single “Rough Gem.” Once again defining Islands style, the energy of the strings and keyboard rushing to the front, followed by the bass and drums provided an opportunity for uproar and rowdiness. The crowd got into it, but nothing more than heads bobbing up and down and one anxiety ridden kid up front head banging.

Defined in their far driven distance from the “formerly Unicorns” disclaimer, Islands has found a fan base that implores and prefers the new and original stylings; those who recognize that Islands is a new band, not an old and departed band who changed their name and added members. The ‘side project’, as dubbed by many critics, has developed into less of a half asset project and more into a fully ripe ensemble. Listen to Return To The Sea and you’ll hear one band performing half a dozen different styles of music. See Islands perform live, and you'll witness underrated rockstars who are in their prime. No longer an opening act, they still maintain their vigor and excitement while performing, and draw energy from one another, the audience, and their music. Similar to the tweens heading the crowd, Islands are young and shiny and new. The catch phrase plastered on their website and t-shirts, holds to what I hope will be true for the future: Islands Are Forever.

- Justin Saylor
KPSU Editorial Team