Islands. June 2nd, 2008 at Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago, IL.
Coming hot off the release of their sophomore record a few weeks ago, Islands dropped through Chicago's Logan Square Auditorium last Monday night. Frontman Nick Thorburn came adorned in white face paint, which foreshadowed the lack of emotions that he would show throughout the night. While it appeared everyone in the band was into the performance, it was sometimes difficult to discern. Thorburn wore a stoic expression throughout the night, and the second guitarist looked as if he was in pain. It took them time to loosen up and really get into the music, as opposed to just standing without a care. I seem to remember them having more energy the last time I saw them, so I'm curious as to why their excitement level has declined.
Musically, everything sounded top-notch. Having six members in a live band really allows the sound to fill out, and Islands took advantage of all personnel. They have always managed to get some wonderful textures on their albums, and this transfers right over into their live show. One violin, two violins, a bass clarinet... these instruments weren't used the whole night, but they added a great occasional texture. The set drew from both of Islands' albums, leaning heavily on Arm's Way. From the opener, "Vertigo (If It's A Crime)" to the encore "Swans (Life After Death," things stayed mostly the same. They looked bored, but sounded great. Take that for what it's worth.
Islands - Vertigo (If It's A Crime) (from Arm's Way)
Islands - Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone (from Return To The Sea)
All photos by Erick Dela Rosa, except for that last one.
Coming hot off the release of their sophomore record a few weeks ago, Islands dropped through Chicago's Logan Square Auditorium last Monday night. Frontman Nick Thorburn came adorned in white face paint, which foreshadowed the lack of emotions that he would show throughout the night. While it appeared everyone in the band was into the performance, it was sometimes difficult to discern. Thorburn wore a stoic expression throughout the night, and the second guitarist looked as if he was in pain. It took them time to loosen up and really get into the music, as opposed to just standing without a care. I seem to remember them having more energy the last time I saw them, so I'm curious as to why their excitement level has declined.Musically, everything sounded top-notch. Having six members in a live band really allows the sound to fill out, and Islands took advantage of all personnel. They have always managed to get some wonderful textures on their albums, and this transfers right over into their live show. One violin, two violins, a bass clarinet... these instruments weren't used the whole night, but they added a great occasional texture. The set drew from both of Islands' albums, leaning heavily on Arm's Way. From the opener, "Vertigo (If It's A Crime)" to the encore "Swans (Life After Death," things stayed mostly the same. They looked bored, but sounded great. Take that for what it's worth.
Islands - Vertigo (If It's A Crime) (from Arm's Way)
Islands - Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone (from Return To The Sea)
All photos by Erick Dela Rosa, except for that last one.Labels: Show Reviews
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