Islands — Arm's Way

Now this is more like it. Arm's Way is a beacon of light for those who hoped Return To The Sea would be the logical, exciting follow-up to The Unicorns' Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? and went home disappointed. Islands debut featured a few memorable cuts, but it was basically half-record, half-meandering filler. Arm's Way is so jam-packed — both in quality and length — it could stand as two separate, excellent albums. The big difference is that this LP actually features Islands as the tight touring unit they've evolved into, as opposed to just Nick Thorburn and now-former drummer Jamie Thompson, who recorded most of Return To The Sea on their own. With a full arsenal of music school standouts backing him, Thorburn tests the outer limits of his songwriting ability. To call this collection epic would be an understatement. From the opening guitar burst of the title track to the 11-minute closer "Vertigo (If It's A Crime)," Islands push the songs in just about every direction possible. I can't even do justice to how good "Creeper" and "I Feel Evil Creeping In" are, so I'll just say that Islands have finally arrived the way they were always supposed to.