Islands Recent News

Vulture.com Streams The New Islands Album

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:02:00 -0800

Vulture.com, the entertainment and culture news site from the people behind New York Magazine, will be streaming the anticipated new album by acclaimed modernist pop band Islands in its entirety today, Tuesday, February 7th.

To hear Islands’ A Sleep & A Forgetting go to Vulture.

The new album continues Islands’ knack for adventuresome and catchy state of the art pop music. But this time, band leader Nick Thorburn has infused the songs with a deeply personal introspection which lends the work a powerful emotional resonance. “This album is far more personal than any I’ve made before,” Thorburn explains. “It deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming.”

A Sleep & A Forgetting is the anticipated follow up to Islands’ critically heralded record Vapours, and features a stripped down and beautifully understated sound which only reinforces Thorburn’s confessional lyrics. “I’ve always hidden behind devices and humor but this album is just so much starker and open,” he explains. And it’s a risk that absolutely pays off. The new record features some of the most startling and memorable songs from a supremely talented band which continues to both evolve or surprise.

Islands Live Dates:

Feb 14 Los Angeles – Bootleg Theatre
Feb 15 Phoenix – Crescent Ballroom
Feb 17 Austin – St David's Episcopal Church
Feb 18 Dallas – Sons of Herman Hall
Feb 20 Birmingham – Bottletree
Feb 22 Washington DC – Black Cat
Feb 23 TBA – Baltimore
Feb 24 Philadelphia - First Unitarian Chapel – 2 shows
Feb 25 Le Poisson Rouge - NYC
Feb 26 Hamden, CT – The Space
Feb 29 Pontiac – Magnetic Recording
Mar 01 Chicago – Lincoln Hall
Mar 02 Minneapolis – 7th St Entry
Mar 10 Seattle – Vera Project
Mar 11 Portland – Mississippi Studios
Mar 13 San Francisco – Hotel Utah – 2 shows

Signed Valentines Cards From Islands

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:02:00 -0800

What better way to celebrate the most romantic of holidays then with a personalized Valentine’s card from Islands. The revered modernist pop band will be releasing their brand new album A Sleep & A Forgetting on February 14th. Now fans who preorder the record will get a limited edition (only 500 made) Valentine’s Day card designed, signed and numbered by the group’s singer-songwriter Nick Thorburn.

To preorder Islands new record A Sleep & A Forgetting and receive a limited edition signed Valentine’s card, go to the Anti Store.

A Sleep & A Forgetting is the anticipated follow up to Islands critically heralded record Vapours. The new album offers all the shimmering sonic textures and irresistible melodies that have come to define Islands enduring appeal, but there is a deeply personal cathartic undercurrent to the songs. This time band leader Nick Thorburn has infused the songs with a personal introspection that gives the record a powerful emotional resonance.

The band will be performing a select series of live dates across North America. The shows will be held in intimate venues recreating the confessional and deeply personal tone of their enthralling new album.

Islands Live Dates:

Feb 14 Los Angeles – Bootleg Theatre
Feb 15 Phoenix – Crescent Ballroom
Feb 17 Austin – St David's Episcopal Church
Feb 18 Dallas – Sons of Herman Hall
Feb 20 Birmingham – Bottletree
Feb 21 TBA – Chapel Hill
Feb 22 Washington DC – Black Cat
Feb 23 TBA – Baltimore
Feb 24 Philadelphia - First Unitarian Chapel – 2 shows
Feb 25 TBA - NYC
Feb 26 Hamden, CT – The Space
Feb 27 Montreal – Cabaret du Mile End
Feb 28 Toronto – Music Gallery – 2 shows
Feb 29 Pontiac – Magnetic Recording
Mar 01 Chicago – Lincoln Hall
Mar 02 Minneapolis – 7th St Entry
Mar 03 Winnipeg – West End Cultural Centre
Mar 05 Edmonton – The Haven Social Club
Mar 06 Calgary – The Ironwood
Mar 08 Vancouver – Rio Theatre
Mar 10 Seattle – Vera Project
Mar 11 Portland – Mississippi Studios
Mar 13 San Francisco – Hotel Utah – 2 shows
Mar 14 TBA – San Diego

Islands Premiere New Track "Hallway"

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:01:00 -0800

The acclaimed modernist pop band Islands will be debuting a new song from the group’s upcoming album A Sleep & A Forgetting which arrives in stores this February 14th on Anti-Records. The song is called“Hallways” and it is a fascinating and buoyant reinterpretation of a classic rock and roll sound punctuated by a spirited piano, lush backing vocals and surging percussive drumming under singer Nick Thorburn’s heartfelt melodic vocals.

To hear the new song “Hallways,” just go to Prefix.

A Sleep & A Forgetting is the highly anticipated follow up to Islands’ critically lauded album Vapours. While the record continues the band’s affinity for creating adventuresome and infectious state of the art pop music, this time band leader Thorburn has infused the songs with a personal introspection that gives the record a new and powerful emotional resonance.

“This album is far more personal than any I’ve made before,” Thorburn explains. “I left New York and came to Los Angeles and there was this piano where I was staying. And that’s where I wrote these songs. The record deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming.”

Far from being self pitying, A Sleep & A Forgetting powerfully transforms personal unrest into affecting and soulful pop music. “It’s kind of frightening,” Thorburn reflects.

“I’ve always hidden behind devices and humor but this album is just so much starker and open.” And it’s a risk that absolutely pays off. The new record features some of the most startling and memorable songs from a supremely talented band which has continued to both evolve or surprise.

Islands Announce Tour Dates

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:01:00 -0800

The modernist pop band Islands have announced a select series of live dates across North America. The critically acclaimed band will be performing songs from their highly anticipated new album A Sleep & A Forgetting which arrives in-stores on February 14th via Anti-Records.

The shows will be held in intimate venues recreating the confessional and deeply personal tone of this enthralling new album. While the new record continues the band’s inclination for crafting adventuresome state of the art pop music, this time band leader Nick Thorburn has infused the songs with a deeply personal introspection which gives the record a new and powerful emotional resonance.

“This album is far more personal than any I’ve made before,” Thorburn explains. “I left New York and came to Los Angeles and there was this piano where I was staying. And that’s where I wrote these songs. The record deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming.”

The new record offers all the shimmering sonic textures and irresistible melodies that have come to define Islands enduring appeal, but there is a deeply personal cathartic undercurrent to the songs, transforming personal unrest into affecting and soulful pop music.

Islands Live Dates:

Feb 14 Los Angeles – Bootleg Theatre
Feb 15 Phoenix – Crescent Ballroom
Feb 17 Austin – St David's Episcopal Church
Feb 18 Dallas – Sons of Herman Hall
Feb 20 Birmingham – Bottletree
Feb 21 TBA – Chapel Hill
Feb 22 Washington DC – Black Cat
Feb 23 TBA – Baltimore
Feb 24 Philadelphia - First Unitarian Chapel – 2 shows
Feb 25 TBA - NYC
Feb 26 Hamden, CT – The Space
Feb 27 Montreal – Cabaret du Mile End
Feb 28 Toronto – Music Gallery – 2 shows
Feb 29 Pontiac – Magnetic Recording
Mar 01 Chicago – Lincoln Hall
Mar 02 Minneapolis – 7th St Entry
Mar 03 Winnipeg – West End Cultural Centre
Mar 05 Edmonton – The Haven Social Club
Mar 06 Calgary – The Ironwood
Mar 08 Vancouver – Rio Theatre
Mar 10 Seattle – Vera Project
Mar 11 Portland – Mississippi Studios
Mar 13 San Francisco – Hotel Utah – 2 shows
Mar 14 TBA – San Diego

Anti Winter Digital Compilation Available Now

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:12:00 -0800

There’s really no better way to celebrate the holiday season than with some superb new music. In light of this age old truth, we here at Anti-Records would like to offer an ideal soundtrack to a joyful Christmas and New Years’ Eve festivities with our Winter Digital Compilation 2011. Nine great songs from some of our most thrilling artists, available December 20th exclusively at iTunes for the low price of $3.99.

You can download by going to iTunes.

Anti- Winter Sampler 2011 Track Listing:

1. “Dawned On Me” by Wilco - The revelry begins with the celebrated Chicago band performing a burst of supremely catchy melodic rock and roll with “Dawned On Me” from the their hit album The Whole Love.

2. “That Old Black Hole” by Dr. Dog - Next up is Philadelphia group Dr. Dog with an absolutely primal and energetic track entitled “That Old Black Hole” from their upcoming album Be The Void.

3. “When I Write My Master's Thesis” by John K. Samson - Weakerthans’ front-man John K. Samson offers the gift of sublime literary rock with “When I Write My Masters Thesis” from his evocative new solo record Provincial.

4. “This Is Not A Song” by Islands - Nick Thorburn and modernist pop masters Islands deliver some state of the art soul music with “This Is Not A Song” From their soon to be released deeply cathartic album A Sleep & A Forgetting.

5. “Sticks & Stones” by Joe Henry - Next it’s heralded producer and artist Joe Henry with the sublimely atmospheric blues of “Sticks & Stones” from his acclaimed album Reverie.

6. “Birds” (feat. Sean Rowe) by Marketa Irglova - Supremely talented songstress Irglova (The Swell Season) has just released a stunning solo album called Anar. Here she pairs with powerful singer Sean Rowe for an exclusive version of the Neil Young song “Birds.”

7. “We Are All Teenagers” by Tim Fite - A distinctly original talent, called “one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most subversive renaissance men” Fite is about to release the best record of his career with Ain’t Ain’t Ain’t. You can preview this masterful work with his epic and heartfelt “We Are All Teenagers.”

8. “Tenere Taqhim Tossam” by Tinariwen - On their recent Grammy nominated album Tassili, the North African band returns to the essence of their art with the plaintive and soulful “Tenere Taqhim Tossam” featuring Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone of the band TV On The Radio.

9. “Hey Na Na” (feat. David Shaw from The Revivalists & Maggie Koerner) by Galactic - The festivities are rounded out in suitable fashion by Galactic with their appropriately celebratory and powerful carnival inspired “Hey Na Na” (feat. David Shaw from The Revivalists & Maggie Koerner) from the band’s upcoming album Carnivale Electricos.

Islands Premiere "This Is Not A Song" Video On Stereogum

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:12:00 -0800

Acclaimed futuristic pop group Islands have just debuted a beautifully stark and dramatic new video for the track “This Is Not A Song” at Stereogum.com. The song, a deeply evocative work of re-imagined soul, is from Islands’ upcoming new album A Sleep & A Forgetting which comes out February 14th via Anti-Records.

“This Is Not A Song” is currently available for purchase at iTunes.

A Sleep & A Forgetting is the much anticipated follow up to Islands’ critically lauded album Vapours. The record continues the band’s penchant for crafting adventuresome and state of the art pop music utilizing shimmering sonic textures and irresistible melodies. But this time band leader Nick Thorburn has infused the songs with a sense of personal introspection that gives the album a powerful emotional resonance.

To view Islands new video for “This Is Not A Song,”, just go to Stereogum.

Islands Premiere "This Is Not A Song" Via Pitchfork

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:12:00 -0800

Celebrated modernist pop band Islands are debuting a song from their anticipated new album A Sleep & A Forgetting today, Monday, December 5th at Pitchfork.com. The track, “This Is Not A Song,” is a remarkable work of re-imagined soul featuring a lilting heartrending chorus reminiscent of Smokey Robinson and Roy Orbison.

A Sleep & A Forgetting, in-stores this February 14th, is the follow up to Islands’ critically lauded album Vapours. While the record continues the band’s penchant for crafting adventuresome and infectious state of the art pop music, this time band leader Nick Thorburn has infused the songs with a personal introspection that gives the record a new and powerful emotional resonance.

“This album is far more personal than any I’ve made before,” Thorburn explains. “I left New York and came to Los Angeles and there was this piano where I was staying. And that’s where I wrote these songs. The record deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming.”

The new record offers all the shimmering sonic textures and irresistible melodies that have come to define Islands enduring appeal, but there is a deeply personal cathartic undercurrent to the songs, transforming personal unrest into affecting and soulful pop music.

To listen to “This Is Not A Song” by Islands, just go to Pitchfork.

Islands Announce New Album 'A Sleep & A Forgetting'

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:10:00 -0700

Acclaimed modernist pop band Islands will release their new album A Sleep & A Forgetting this February 14th via Anti-Records. While the record continues the band’s penchant for crafting adventuresome and infectious state of the art pop music, this time band leader Nick Thorburn has infused the songs with a personal introspection that gives the record a new and powerful emotional resonance.

“This album is far more personal than any I’ve made before,” Thorburn explains. “I left New York after the end of a relationship and came to Los Angeles. There was a piano where I was staying and that’s where I wrote these songs. This record deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming. I started writing it on Valentine’s Day and its coming out on Valentine’s Day.”

A Sleep & A Forgetting is the anticipated follow up to Islands critically heralded record Vapours, which Black Book described as "infectious and weird....masterful” and Popmatters proclaimed “a damn fine record.” The new album was produced by Thorburn and fellow Islands member Evan Gordon in less than two weeks, the 11 songs recorded live with hardly a single overdub. It’s a stripped down process and beautifully understated sound which only reinforces the confessional content of the lyrics

The new album offers all the shimmering sonic textures and irresistible melodies that have come to define Islands enduring appeal, but there is a deeply personal cathartic undercurrent to the songs. “The sound is really my interpretation of soul music,” Thorburn offers. “I mean, I’m a white kid from Canada so it’s gonna be very warped. But that’s where my head was at, that particular way of dealing with themes of pain and heartbreak.”

While admittedly listening to the classic soul of Smokey Robinson and The Temptations, Thorburn was also influenced by the introspective folk of artists such as Sibylle Baier, Maddy Prior and June Tabor. As a result the sound is less an approximation of classic Northern soul and more akin to the symphonic and cathartic pop of soul baring artists like Harry Nilsson and Roy Orbison. As the late Link Wray once said, “Soul music is pain.”

And it comes together to striking effect on songs like the heartfelt ballad “Same Thing” with its echoing modernist beat, lilting refrain and confessional lyrics such as: “I can't wait to see, what becomes of me, the ease with which I sleep, tends to frighten me.” As Thorburn explains, “I wrote that song when I was just in the depths. It was just this surreal and intensely cathartic experience.” On the darkly dramatic “Oh Maria” Thorburn sings of Buddy Holly’s anguished young widow and her reoccurring crash site dreams. “She would have these dreams about being in the field where his plane went down,” Thorburn says. “She would be trying desperately to get past all the bystanders to see him one last time. It’s such an evocative story it just stuck with me. And it’s absolutely consistent with the album’s themes of heartbreak, death and dreaming. “

Far from being self pitying, A Sleep & A Forgetting powerfully transforms personal unrest into affecting and soulful pop music. “It’s kind of frightening,” Thorburn reflects.

“I’ve always hidden behind devices and humor but this album is just so much starker and open.” And it’s a risk that absolutely pays off. The new record features some of the most startling and memorable songs from a supremely talented band which has continued to both evolve or surprise.

Islands To Play Intimate Shows At CMJ 2011

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:10:00 -0700

Acclaimed modernist pop band Islands will be performing at this year’s 2011 CMJ Festival in New York City. The band will be playing two very intimate seated shows on October 22nd and 28th at The Dominion Theater and Lounge in Manhattan along with comedian Max Silvestri and ex Rapture member Mattie Safer.

Islands and their charismatic front man-songwriter Nick Thorburn, have become increasingly renowned for their ever evolving brand of adventuresome and infectious state of the art pop music. Paper Magazine referred to the band’s last album Vapours as, “lush, pop goodness.” The group’s recently finished a brand new album which will be released via Anti-Records early next year.

Islands, 10-22 and 10-28 @ The Dominion Theater and Lounge. Doors open at 8 PM.

Tor purchase tickets go to: http://everfinepresents.inticketing.com/events/173507

Anti Records 2010 Spring Compilation Available Now

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:04:00 -0700

Think of this as a mix tape, like one of those cassettes you sweated over in college to slip to that special someone in your Mass Communications class. That batch of songs that was uniquely you, that would open your murky soul to the broad light of day, and let all see how complex and tortured you really were. These 15 songs unveil the murky soul of ANTI- Records to an unsuspecting and largely unprepared public (just like that college mixtape), and it turns out to be darker and danker than anyone suspected.

Take Roky Erickson, an artist who has done his own share of soul searching, recording with Okkervil River, and his contribution "Goodbye Sweet Dreams" - a haunted cry from the heart, with Roky repeating the lines over and over like some obsessed anti-hero from Dostoevsky. Then there's Bettye LaVette's searing reading of the Rolling Stones' "Salt of the Earth," peering in at the grimy window of the "stay-at-home voter" and the rest of the downtrodden, in lyrics that sound more current today than they did in 1969. New signing Lost In the Trees, musical savants from North Carolina, wrap the saddest story you've ever heard in aching melody and surging strings, everything you'd hope for in a song titled "All Alone In an Empty House." And house dissident Sage Francis offers "Slow Man," with music written for Sage by Calexico - a meditation on the artist's belief that "there's no shame in being a dinosaur with an analog heart, a strained spirit and a photo-book filled with senior moments."

These four songs aren't available elsewhere; they are glimpses at farm-fresh, still-in-the-crate, upcoming releases. And the rest of the tracks are all from brand new or recent releases, from our larger stable of ANTI- heroes . How can we do it, you ask? We can get away with the low price of $2.99 because these celebrated artists and this benevolent record company have agreed not to make a profit on this venture. We (and they) feel it's more important that these samples of musical joy be heard. Just don't bring any of this up around our accountants.

Get it on iTunes today!

1. Dr. Dog - "Stranger" from the album Shame, Shame
2. Tom Waits - "Fannin Street" from the album Glitter & Doom Live
3. Mose Allison - "My Brain" from the album The Way Of The World
4. Bettye LaVette - "Salt Of The Earth" from the album Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook
5. Roky Erickson - "Goodbye Sweet Dreams" from the album True Love Cast Out All Evil
6. Lost In The Trees - "All Alone in an Empty House" from the album All Alone in an Empty House
7. Sage Francis - "Slow Man" from the album Li(f)e
8. Galactic - "Heart Of Steel" from the album YA-KA-MAY
9. The Swell Season - "Feeling The Pull" from the album Strict Joy
10. The Weakerthans - "Benediction" from the album Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre
11. Alec Ounsworth - "Holy, Holy, Holy Moses (song for New Orleans)" from the album Mo Beauty
12. Islands - "Tender Torture" from the album Vapours
13. Dead Man's Bones - "Pa Pa Power" from the album Dead Man's Bones
14. Rain Machine - "Give Blood" from the album Rain Machine
15. Joe Henry - "Death To The Storm" from the album Blood From Stars