Bring your bags of sawdust Oct. 14 to Satellite Ballroom and celebrate the coming of Islands. While you're there, feel free to insult Winston Churchill; no one will care. He's dead.
Islands proved that there is indeed "Life after Death" with their highly acclaimed April debut titled Return to the Sea. The band, which featured a revolving door of guest musicians, was anchored by two of the three ex-Unicorns -- Nick Diamonds and Jaime T'ambour. Return to the Sea was an indie-pop masterpiece that cemented the duo's reputation as frontrunners of the indie movement. T'ambour has since left the band, but Diamonds remains, posting on the bands website that "Islands are forever."
I got the chance to talk to Nick but only after a voicemail cancellation...
"Hey there, this is Nick from Islands. We had an interview scheduled for 12:30, but I don't think I will be able to make that appointment. I was wondering if we could reschedule that appointment for 11 tomorrow morning. I hope I'm not... screwin' ya over or anything."
And then a speakerphone mishap:
Female voice: "Ay?"
Me: "Is Nick there?"
Female voice: "Hello?"
Me: "Is Nick there?"
Female voice (with annoyance): "Hello?"
Me: "Sh*t."
Finally I got to talk to Nick Diamonds, who was as charming and witty as his music -- about Islands, Paul Simon, sawdust and Winston Churchill.
The tour started Oct. 8 and will last until Nov. 18.
"I like the Henry Fonda in L.A. I like [First Avenue] in Minneapolis too. It's where Prince shot Purple Rain. I guess I like weird, unassuming places... where the audience can feel real intimate."
Expect to hear new material when Islands hits Charlottesville. Diamonds says that the tour is "serving as a sort of rehearsal" for the new album which the band will be recording this winter in Seattle.
Islands, which had featured multiple guest musicians, has become, in the words of Diamonds, "mega-stable."
However, fans of Return to the Sea shouldn't fear that this newfound stability will make their new album any more straightforward. When I asked if it was true that he had tabbed former Travelling Wilburys member Jeff Lynne to produce the new album, Diamonds replied, "I changed my mind on that. It's not really appropriate for him. He tends to tread lightly on the easy-listening crowd, and I'd like to stay clear of Tom Petty territory -- not that I could get Jeff Lynne, if I wanted to."
Perhaps then it is ironic that Paul Simon's Graceland remains one of Diamonds most distinct musical influences. Islands covered "Graceland" at their first New York show.
"Ah, I don't know if I can say in just a few words what [Graceland] means to me ... I could write an essay about it. It's just an album that's always been with me. It was something I listened to when I was young -- it's an appendage ... I'm just flapping about my appendage."
I admit that before this interview I had never conceived of Paul Simon and sawdust as having similar connotations, but (thanks to Taylor Smith) I asked Diamonds about it.
"I like the smell, I guess. I grew up in the country and my dad was a carpenter. I associate it with early memories ... I like the idea of diving into piles of it."
And finally, the question that everyone wanted to know: Does Nick Diamonds have anything against Winston Churchill?
"... Yeah I guess I do. He was a warmonger. You know? I'm a peacenik... Yeah, I guess, you know, he probably did some good things though. No, no nevermind. I think he's an asshole. Yeah, f*ck him, he's dead."
Talking to Diamonds is exactly like listening to his album, and I couldn't have put it any better.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
