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You need a big pad of paper and a large Rolodex to keep track of Nick Thorburn’s (aka Nick Diamonds) musical involvements. As a teen at the turn of the century he shot to near worldwide acclaim – at an indie music level at least – with his kook trio The Unicorns on the strength of two smoldering albums, Unicorns Are People Too and Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?. Sadly The ‘Corns never made it out of the year 2004, burned out by their instant fame and massive touring schedule. Thorburn and drummer Jamie Thompson held it together a little while longer, first as Th' Corn Gangg, a pop meets hip-hop project, and later as Islands, a multi-genre incorporating pop band that debuted its wares in 2006 with Return To the Sea.
Fast forward to now. Since Islands’ first record, Nick Thorburn has been tied to myriad collaborative projects: Human Highway (w/ Jim Guthrie), Reefer, Mister Heavenly (feat. Honus Honus of Man Man, Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse/The Shins and actor Michael Cera), alongside guest appearances on albums by EL-P and Busdriver, while most recently inhabiting an acting role in the Canadian indie film Everyday Is Like Sunday. Three weeks ago Islands released their fifth record Ski Mask on Thorburn’s own label Manqué Music. The band changes lineups as often as it does record labels – in the past they’ve been associated with Equator, Rough Trade, and ANTI – while Thorburn remains the epicenter as lead singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, in his words surrounding himself with a rotating cast of musicians to keep musical ideas and inspirations fresh. Ski Mask exhibits Islands traits of past, with sharp, biting lyrics, smart harmonies, and endless melodies, without a doubt the band’s most all-encompassing effort.
Islands – Il Motore – 179 Jean-Talon Ouest
Wednesday October 9th
http://islandsareforever.com
