Nicholas Thorburn
Nicholas Thorburn (born 27 November 1981), also known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, is a Canadian musician originally from Campbell River. He has fronted numerous bands such as The Unicorns, Th' Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highway.
Nicholas Thorburn | |
|---|---|
 Nick Thorburn performing with Islands in Stockholm, 2012. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Nick Diamonds |
| Born | 27 November 1981 Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada |
| Genres | Indie rock, alternative rock, indie pop, lo-fi, electronica, alternative hip hop, hip hop, rock, art rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, drum machine, percussion, echoplex, recorder, glockenspiel, accordion |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Rough Trade, ANTI-, Manqué |
History
Thorburn was born in 1981 in Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada, which he says has influenced his songwriting.[1] Nature, in particular whales, are a subject of interest;[2] his lyrics include references to rivers, swans and frogs. He also had a formative experience in a visit, along with his father, to see the killer whale Luna; his memories of the visit became an influential part of Islands' debut album Return to the Sea.[1]
Thorburn has fronted The Unicorns, Th' Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highway.[3][4] Thorburn has gone by the stage name "Nick Diamonds."[1][5]
His vocals have been noted as a distinguishing feature of The Unicorns and Islands.[6][7] His production technique involves dark personification over enjoyable music, though he is "usually wary of composing dance tracks."[8] This contrast is observed in his live performance as well.[9]
In 2005, he co-wrote with Adam Gollner the satirical charity song "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" organizing the collaboration of many artists.[10] He guest performed on Les Savy Fav's 2007 album Let's Stay Friends.[11] Reefer, his collaborative album with producer Daddy Kev as Reefer, was released on Alpha Pup Records in 2008.[12]
Thorburn has made an album with Honus Honus (also known as Ryan Kattner) of the band Man Man: "One thing that has been floated around is Honus Honus from Man Man and I making a record in a new (sub)genre we are developing, called Doom Wop, which is essentially low frequency, and extremely slowed down music atop traditional doo wop harmonies. Or something."[13][14] The project, called Mister Heavenly, also involves drummer Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse and The Black Heart Procession and has had actor Michael Cera playing bass on the tour.[15]
He released the solo album, I Am an Attic, on his Bandcamp page in 2011.[16] Thorburn was featured on the 2012 El-P album Cancer 4 Cure, singing the chorus of the track "Stay Down".[17] In 2014, Thorburn composed the theme music and score for the critically acclaimed podcast Serial.[18] In 2015, he released a second solo album titled City of Quartz.[19]
Discography
Albums
- Unicorns Are People Too as The Unicorns (2003)
- Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? as The Unicorns (2003)
- Return to the Sea as Islands (2006)
- Arm's Way as Islands (2008)
- Reefer as Reefer (2008)
- Moody Motorcycle as Human Highway (2008)
- Vapours as Islands (2009)
- Out of Love as Mister Heavenly (2011)
- I Am an Attic solo album as Nick Diamonds (2011)
- A Sleep & a Forgetting as Islands (2012)
- Ski Mask as Islands (2013)
- Music from SERIAL (2014)
- City of Quartz as Nick Diamonds (2015)[20]
- Should I Remain Here, At Sea? as Islands (2016)
- Taste as Islands (2016)
- Boxing the Moonlight as Mister Heavenly (2017)
- Islomania as Islands (2021)
- And That's Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs as Islands (2023)
Guest appearances
- Busdriver – "Happy Insider" from Jhelli Beam (2009)
- Nocando – "You Got Some Nerve" from Jimmy the Lock (2010)
- Buck 65 – "Gee Whiz" from 20 Odd Years (2011)
- Fat Tony and Tom Cruz – "Bad Habits" from Double Dragon (2012)
- El-P – "Stay Down" from Cancer 4 Cure (2012)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Only the Young | composer |
| 2013 | Everyday Is Like Sunday | actor |
| 2013 | Bitch | actor |
| 2013 | Drunk History | television series; extra[21] |
| 2014 | Lennon or McCartney | in interview clip |
| 2015 | Diamond Tongues | actor |
| 2015 | That Dog | director, writer |
| 2016 | Golden Vanity | composer |
| 2017 | Sundowners | Nick; also composer |
| 2019 | The Ripper (Huluween short) | actor |
References
- Van Evra, Jennifer (3 November 2006). "One man's Islands". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. theglobeandmail.com. p. R6. ISSN 0319-0714.
- Pareles, Jon (11 October 2006). "A Barrage of Calamities Set to a Vintage Soundtrack". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- "Nicholas Thorburn Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
- Home is where the broken heart is for Islands’ Nick Thorburn | National Post
- Carew, Anthony (10 December 2004). "Horned wonder". The Age. Melbourne. theage.com.au. ISSN 0312-6307. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- Jordan Hickey (11 April 2006). "Islands worth a visit". The Maneater. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- Jim Withington (12 July 2007). "Up & Coming". The Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- Ben Breier (5 October 2005). "Islands: All metaphorical, not at all tropical". University Wire. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- "Sum 41, The Arcade Fire And Beck Collaborate On Anti-Halloween Single". Chart. Toronto. chartattack.com. 22 August 2005. ISSN 1198-7235. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- Katie Hasty (21 August 2007). "Les Savy Fav Thinks Big On First Album Since '01". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- Grandy, Eric (23 October 2008). "Album Review – Reefer: Reefer". The Stranger.
- Weiss, Evan (20 October 2009). "Music: "Vapours" by Islands". The Arts Section (blog). Retrieved 20 October 2009.
- Charlesworth, Jenny (29 December 2009). "Islands and Man Man Join Forces for 'Doom-Wop' Project". Spinner. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
- Michaels, Sean (2 December 2010). "Michael Cera joins real-life indie band". The Guardian. London. guardian.co.uk. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878.
- Bevan, David (26 August 2011). "Nick Diamonds: I Am an Attic". Pitchfork Media.
- Weiss, Sam (15 October 2012). "Video: El-P f/ Nick Diamonds "Stay Down"". Complex.
- "Serial Podcast Website".
- "Nick Diamonds: City of Quartz Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "The Sting, by Nick Diamonds". Nick Diamonds. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- Bell, Mike (25 March 2014). "Islands still floating closely, optimistically towards mainstream success". The Calgary Herald. Retrieved 11 November 2016.