islands, why? emo's austin TX may 1st 2006 - john
It was not their fault, but the Islands show was a little lacking. The tropical phoenix from the Unicorns ashes brought the matching white outfits, the hanging from the rafters, the firecrackers, and the witty banter between the long jam session-esqe songs… BUT-
Here is a list of things that could have made the Islands show at Emo's more enjoyable:
1.Crazy fans. Think Jimmy Buffet fans- or “Parrot heads”, as they preferred to be called. No arms crossed in the room but instead hipsters in beach-chair campsites until Islands go on and then they dance like they were on a Caribbean cruise commercial. I read stories online of conga lines and was a little disappointed that I was not being able to participate.
2.Margaritas. Although, it should be noted that this would make most shows more enjoyable to me…
3.Comically oversized beach balls being bounced around the audience. It’s a simple thing that does wonders for concert enjoyment. Just ask Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips who now days gets inside one and walks over the audience.
Overall- the instrumentation and music was excellent. The potential to surpass the Unicorns exists in theory for this group… but falls short. Call me old fashioned but I need more hanging from rafters and sitting on violin player’s shoulders.
Here are some Islands tracks from the debut album Return to the Sea :
Islands: Rough Gem 
Islands: Tsuxiit 
And a stripped down track from Islands tour mates why?:
Why?: Early Whitney (recorded at KVRX in Austin TX)