There are a handful of people who were obsessed enough with Montreal’s late psychopop trio the Unicorns to stick it out through both a sudden breakup and a bizarre stint as fake hip-hop group Th’ Corn Gangg. Islands, Nick Diamonds and J’aime Tambour’s new band, will at least pacify these devotees. But for those who just saw the Unicorns as one of the best out of a mediocre lot of overhyped bands that came out around the fall of 2004, Islands’ Return to the Sea will serve as nothing but an unremarkable indie-pop album. Though almost every track is a little enjoyable, especially the ‘Walk of Life’-copping ‘Rough Gem’ and the hidden version of ‘Bucky Little Wing,’ Nick Diamonds’ annoyingly quiet vocal style dampens most of the tunes. The arrangements are perfect and the songs upbeat, but Diamonds incongruously never sounds like he’s having any fun. As a result, the album becomes like a bad Elephant 6 record: something poppy but plodding that a bunch of people will still unconditionally love.
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