For people who like Nick Thorburn's music (and for people who don't know it): both the new Islands records are full of great songs. Beginning to end. As catchy as the catchiest songs on Return to the Sea, Vapours, or A Sleep & A Forgetting. You will be able to listen to these albums for hours on end. As I've grown older and listened to more music, the more I'm impressed by artists who are able to write full albums that are strong all the way through. One song (terrible, good, great) can be a lot of music to make--one song can represent several months of continual labor. 12 songs, or 22 as the case is here, is a staggering amount of labor. 22 entertaining, amusing, eminently listenable songs is a freakish output--that is a goddamn monument. Islands here have produced sing-a-longs, jams, and long sweet elegies (Hawaii on Should I Remain Here At Sea? is so achingly tender).Charm Offensive is the lead track on Taste and Back Into It the lead for Should I Remain Here At Sea? There are for sure some difference between the feel of the two albums, in instrumentation and lyrical tone, though there seems also to be a lot of personal reflection by Thorburn on both: talk of living in L.A., talk about the band, talk about music. These albums are like two lovely little novels. They're both essential, with melodies that will stay in your head for a long, long time.[BUY Taste and Should I Remain Here At Sea?]