My promise of September music recommendations was left unfulfilled, and for that I apologize. My Real Job™ has been killing a lot of fun lately, and I’ve been too busy to write anything up. But don’t fear gentle reader, for a mere five days into October, I have three recommendations for you, all from one of my new favorite bands: Islands.

Islands is a hard band to pin down. While each of their three albums could be broadly classified as indie pop, each takes a very different approach, ranging from whimsical guitar pop of Return to the Sea to the musically complex, progressive Arm’s Way to the simplified poptronica of Vapours. Despite all the shapeshifting, each record manages to be strong, though not without flaws.

Return to the Sea

Of all their records, the one that resonates with me most is 2006’s Return to the Sea. It’s ambitious and diverse, with indie rock epics (“Swans [Life After Death]”), whimsical folk pop (“Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby”), clap-friendly synth pop (“Rough Gem”), and even a really good indie hip-hop track (“Where There’s a Will There’s a Whalebone”). More than anything, the album manages to be a little unsettling and chaotic while still being incredibly musical; it’s playful and energetic pop that you can still take quite seriously. I love this album so much that it has entered my list of reference points: it’s the sort of record that I aspire to make myself.

Arm’s Way

Islands’s second album, Arm’s Way, is a bit tougher to assess. It’s far more compositionally complex than their debut, which is both a boon and a burden. There’s a richness in the instrumentation and song structure that gives the songs a real sense of motion and depth. The album is epic in the old sense of the word; it’s grandiose, ornate, multi-layered, huge. Unfortunately, when an album is packed with so much, something inevitably gets left behind, and with Arm’s Way, it’s the previous album’s whimsy. While not difficult or lacking in immediacy, Arm’s Way feels darker, more structured, more methodically composed than Return to the Sea, and despite the great heights it reaches, it’s worse off for it. As the album goes on, I feel weighed down, tired, spent. The last three tracks—particularly “To a Bond”—do a lot to alleviate that, but the album as a whole is exhausting enough that I hesitate a bit before putting it on. Perhaps that’s just the nature of such elaborate works: if you’re not prepared to receive them, they will surely leave you trampled underfoot. Still, when I do have the energy to journey through its Byzantine halls, I always find myself happier for it. It really is a tremendous album that deserves many, many listens.

Vapours

A few weeks ago, Islands released their latest record, Vapours, which—true to form—is completely different than their previous efforts. This time, the band went in the exact opposite direction of Arm’s Way and simplfied. While still distinctly Islands, the album is characterized more by simple electronic indie pop than epic indie rock. No song exceeds five minutes—Return to the Sea and Arm’s Way have four and six, respectively—, nor are the songs peppered with the myriad instruments and twists and turns of the band’s previous albums. This is an album of straightforward pop songs, at least by Islands standards, and it’s just a joy to listen to. Still, there’s enough going on to stand up to repeated listens, and in the couple of weeks that I’ve had it, I’ve only grown to like it more.

So that’s Islands. Go check them out and give them an earnest listen; there’s a lot to like there. Also, they’re on tour to promote Vapours, so go see them if you have a chance. I saw them a couple weeks ago and absolutely loved it.