Return to the Sea by Islands can really only fit into one category: other. This rich musical tapestry combines sounds and styles ranging from pop, hip-hop, calypso and country. It pairs playful melodies and whimsical lyrics for a killer combination that pushes the level of creativity we expect from our music.
"Swans (Life After Death)," the opening track, is a like a summer jog along the coast, and sounds like a delicately woven breeze of guitar and piano, but takes an interesting turn at the end of the song, evolving into a more melancholy song of heavy handed guitars. The rest of the album continues on a high level of variety and creativity with songs like "Where There's a Will, There's a Whalebone" that begins as an unassuming pop song but soon evolves into a rap and back again, and "Tsuxiit," an enchanting instrumental interlude with glistening highlights of piano and screeching violin. "Ones," one of the best songs on the album, is more meditative and manages to be both delicate and powerful at the same time. The hidden track, "Bucky Little Wing," should not go overlooked, as it is one of the album's most charming pieces, a Broadway-like ditty about a childhood friend.
Though this is Islands' debut album, the two guys who formed the group, lead singer Nick Diamonds and drummer J'aime Tambeur, were formerly bandmates in the now extinct Unicorns, which came out with two very successful albums. But as Islands they have produced a more mature and rich collection songs. Return to the Sea is truly one of the best albums to be released this year.
