Arm's Way

Arm's Way
Studio album by
Islands
ReleasedMay 20, 2008
RecordedApril–May 2007[1]
StudioBear Creek, Woodinville, WA, and Mixart, Montreal, Canada[1]
GenreIndie
Length68:06
LabelANTI-[2]
ProducerRyan Hadlock and Islands
Islands chronology
Return to the Sea
(2006) 		Arm's Way
(2008) 		Vapours
(2009)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Drowned in Sound9/10[4]
Pitchfork Media6.2/10[5]
PopMatters6/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Spin[8]
Tiny Mix Tapes[9]

Arm's Way is the second studio album by Montreal-based indie rock band Islands. It was released on May 20, 2008,[1] on CD and download. The album's title is a play on the words "harm's way". The album leaked online on April 11, 2008.[10]

Concept and production

Drummer Aaron Harris outlined the album's concept and the band's songwriting approach thus:

We took a different approach with this album in that the music is focused on the band members – there are not any special appearances. Arm's was conceived in Montreal, we wrote the songs in a room with old NOFX and Insane Clown Posse posters on the wall. As a band we put the music together and then singer Nick Thorburn wrote the lyrics.[11]

Music

The musical style of Arm's Way represents a departure from the Graceland-inspired sound of debut album Return to the Sea. Rebecca Raber of Pitchfork writes, "Gone are the guest rappers, the acoustic nuevo-country twang, and the sunny Afro-Caribbean flourishes ... In their place are theatrical string arrangements, layers of silvery, minor-key guitars, and lots of gothy synthesizers."[5] Most lyrics include references to death and violence, themes which are shared with frontman Nick Thorburn's previous project The Unicorns.[8]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."The Arm"5:38
2."Pieces of You"4:06
3."J'aime vous voir quitter"3:23
4."Abominable Snow"4:35
5."Creeper"3:15
6."Kids Don't Know Shit"5:11
7."Life in Jail"5:27
8."In the Rushes" (contains a portion of "A Quick One While He's Away" by The Who)7:00
9."We Swim"5:06
10."To a Bond"7:47
11."I Feel Evil Creeping In"5:31
12."Vertigo (If It's a Crime)"11:01

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.[12]

  • Patrice Agbokou – bass
  • Rebecca Bird – artwork
  • Doug Boehm – mixing
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Alex Chow – percussion, synthesizer, viola, violin
  • Sebastian Chow – oboe, piano, violin, vocals
  • Chris Constable – mixing assistant
  • Corn Gangg – drum programming
  • Steve Fallone – mastering
  • Patrick Gregoire – bass clarinet, guitar
  • Ryan Hadlock – engineer, producer
  • Aaron Harris – drums, percussion, vocals
  • Islands – arranger, primary artist, producer
  • Mathieu Roberge – assistant engineer
  • Rob Schnapf – mixing
  • Nick Thorburn – guitar, vocals
  • Alexander Wagner – photography

References

  1. ^ a b c d AllMusic review
  2. ^ Islands sign to ANTI-Records Archived February 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, article on Pitchfork Media's website
  3. ^ "Arm's Way by Islands". metacritic.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  4. ^ Drowned in Sound review Archived May 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b Pitchfork Media review Archived May 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos – PopMatters". popmatters.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  7. ^ "Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Islands, 'Arm's Way' (Anti-)". spin.com. June 4, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  9. ^ Tiny Mix Tapes review Archived May 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Arm's Way leak thread, on The Secret Unicorns Forum
  11. ^ "Islands Interview". FMLY.
  12. ^ "Arm's Way – Islands". AllMusic. Retrieved July 8, 2017.