The Isles - Back To Terrific

Genre alt-country Publisher Binder Records External Links Official Website Binder Records

The Isles are a band hailing from New York City, who are currently being compared by critics to Joy Division and The Smiths. I can only conclude that said critics have cavernous beehives in place of their aural equipment.

Anyway, onto the EP, Back To Terrific. Does it contain a provocatively-titled track to gain a little controversy and cause problems for DJs throughout the land? Does Chewbacca like Wookies? Actually, "Fuck" is probably the best track of the four, a meld of Final Straw-era Snow Patrol and Interpol's "Obstacle 2" (that's probably where the Joy Division comparisons spring from, but I assure you, there's not much of a trace of Manchester left here); it has the rather charming feature of not being able to stick to any particular key for more than thirty seconds, which makes it rather unpredictable and enjoyable.

Unfortunately, that can't be said for the rest of the EP. "Eve of The Battle" takes a long time to get nowhere, again borrowing heavily from Interpol. "True South" makes the unpardonable sin of aping The Strokes, which was a bad idea two years ago. In 2005, it sounds archaic and dismal. "Pills From Mexico," the closer, is a rather languid affair, displaying most of its wares in the first thirty seconds. Sadly, there's still another three and a half minutes to go before it finally ends, making the EP's running time of thirteen minutes feel like an age.

There's nothing spectacularly wrong with this record, but that doesn't means there's anything particularly right, either. It leaves me with the impression that instead of picking up on their claimed influences, the band has instead distilled their ideas from the recent glut in 1980s revival bands. And, like a photocopy of a photocopy, the result of this is a rather bland sound. Hopefully, when The Isles record a full-length album, they'll have room to expand and improve on their influences. Until then, there's countless other bands around that do this so much better.