Arm's Way

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]

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]

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. 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. 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. "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.
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