Islands - Arm's Way

It’s so lazy to liken any band with that ‘big’ sound as sounding like the Arcade Fire; but Islands do, rather frequently, sound quite a lot like the Arcade Fire. It probably doesn’t help that both bands are based in Montreal, a place where troupes are frequently hybridising and cross-pollinating. But the rolling drums, the slight oompah and the fiddle are just too recognisable not to make the association. However, when they can get past this, there are some gems that, while still smacking of their muses, also stand alone. Creeper is a cheap beatbox-led 80s pomp-pop number, and I Feel An Evil Creeping In is a pleading string-drenched torch-song that has a darkness to it. Whether the comparison is taken as a compliment or an insult, it is difficult to shake during the album in its entirety. Y'all've been warned.