It’s weird that so many albums that came out when I was in high school are celebrating ten year anniversaries, mostly just because it means we’re all just getting that much older. But it’s fun to be nostalgic and tilt out lens backwards, to put our minds back into the mindset of a much simpler, and better time.
My latest nostalgia trip took place on December 10, when Nicholas Thorburn and Islands (who I last saw at Music Hall) celebrated the tenth anniversary of their debut album Return To The Sea with a performance of the album in full at Webster Hall.
Islands’s lineup has changed a lot since the album was released, but he brought a little bit of the old magic back by including Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire, who originally helped Thurburn record the album in the studio. Parry’s inclusion gave their performance an extra spark, as anyone whose ever seen him perform with Arcade Fire can understand. They ran through the whole album from start to finish, even bringing out a few special guests. Rapper Subtitle delivered the verses for “Where There’s a Will There’s a Whalebone” while actor Michael Cera (who also played in Thorburn’s side-project Mister Heavenly) and members of TEEN helped in the encore performance of album closer “Bucky Little Wing.”
Find photos of their performance posted below, including shots of opener The Magic, (the band of Islands’ member Geordie Gordon) as well as Islands’ setlist.
Islands Setlist:
1. Swans (Life After Death)
2. Humans
3. Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby
4. Rough Gem
5. Tsuxiit
6. Where There’s a Will There’s a Whalebone
7. Jogging Gorgeous Summer
8. Volcanoes
9. If
10. Ones
Encore:
11. Bucky Little Wing @With[Michael Cera]
Encore 2:
12. Hallways
13. Pumpkin
14. Fear
The Magic:
Islands:
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