WERS 88.9 fm - Performance Wrap-Up: Islands

November 9, 2009

Montreal-based band Islands came by WERS to play some tracks from their latest album, Vapours, which was released this past September. The band, which has gone through many line-up changes, consists primarily of guitarist/vocalist Nick Thorburn and whoever he gets to play with him. When they were last in Boston, that was Evan and Geordie Gordon. "Evan and Geordie have another band called The Magic, and I liked them so much I stole them away for this record," Thorburn said.

The band, which was playing a show at the Middle East that same night, showed up ready to roll, tearing right into "Heartbeat," as soon as they we re live. Vapours has been noted for its electronic sound, a very different feel from previous albums, Return to the Sea, and Arm's Way. Thorburn said that this new sound, "Wasn't a retaliation toArm's Way... it was just another artery to make a record that had been previously untouched… We're not a style-over-substance band," he said, adding, "it's more the composition. The technique and the dressing… are superficial to the song."  He went on to say that some of the songs from Vapours even predated Arm's Way. 

Despite the new electronic sound to Islands, the band chose to play the WERS set, which also included songs "Vapours," and "EOL," largely acoustically. "We're crazy like that," said Thorburn. "[It] further proves my point. Take the songs out of the genre and their still the same songs." He also added that it might just be because all of the equipment was at the Middle East.

-By Alex Schab

-Photos by Samantha Simon