Islet
Mon 26 May
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
On paper, Islet should be a difficult band to like. When describing them to friends I realise they sound like the sort of thing enjoyed by ear-hating musical sadists who would rather listen to Steve Albini sanding a blackboard than the Beach Boys. The funny thing is, they’re actually very good. And a lot of fun. And I didn’t even have to force myself to like them.
Throughout the evening the four members of Islet – who are based in Cardiff – flit seamlessly between instruments like four arms of one musical beast. Generally we have a guitar or bass, keyboards and two drummers – with two kits set up next to each other providing the musical engine room. Vocals are contributed by one or all of the members, and tend to be of the unhinged, yelping variety that suggests some form of deep, regressive therapy that could have been popular in the ’60s.
So, why are they so much fun? Central to the Islet experience is the drums, that grip the audience from the off and, with their nods to Krautrock, drive the gig onwards with the insistency of a motorcade of BMWs on an autobahn. The other instruments are largely harnessed to this rhythmic core – without ego they create a pulsing, organically evolving whole. And like Animal Collective, Islet have honed a skewed method from the madness of their operation. Snatches of melody drift in and out of focus, pulling the listener in before darting off on new tangents. The songs ebb and flow, long percussive sections collapsing into analogue keyboard riffs and shouted choruses, but always display a primal appeal and innate musicality. Islet are unavoidably avant garde – there aren’t many songs tonight you could imagine Simon Cowell pinching for SuBo’s next Christmas single. But there’s nothing wilfully awkward or contrived about them, and as the beaming audience leaving Clwb tonight attest, a lot to enjoy.
From the front page “Islet have achieved remarkable success despite an almost complete lack of self-promotion. That’s because they’re a really good band.”
I totally agree that they are a really good band.
But don’t kid yourself about the ‘no promo’ thing. One of them goes out with a member of Los Campesinos! and one of them used to be in VEG Club who were signed. All these things count. Plus most things I’ve seen about them mention their anti-promotion thing – so it then becomes a selling point.
Do us a favour and concentrate on how good they are. People don’t need to be hoodwinked into liking them with some anti-marketing nonsense.
"Islet have achieved remarkable success despite an almost complete lack of self-promotion. That's because they're a really good band."
No, it's because they KNOW THE RIGHT PEOPLE.
Also, no hype acts as hype in itself.
Look beyond this and there is much evidence to suggest that they suck.
Have you seen them live, Mr Jealous?
I assume you're talking to me, Mr Steen?
As a matter of fact, yes, I have. My thoughts were that they were visually gimmicky, narcissitic, and contrived. Aurally; hackneyed, mediocre, and pretty uninspired in the grand scheme of things. Don't get me wrong, I don't think they are total crap, I just don't think they deserve much hype.
What bugs me is that there have been many very interesting bands from the Cardiff area over the years playing very interesting music, yet they have played to empty rooms; the only persons listening being the promoters and the other bands on the bill. Then a band like Islet appears who have connections, gimmicks, and a savvy anti-marketing marketing plan, and people start to cream themselves. If you are all such music fans as you so pronounce, why haven't you been at the other gigs filling the empty spaces? Why haven't you been seeking out the interesting sounds being made by local musicians?
Music is a funny thing. If people succumb to hype and adopt a like for a certain band, they believe it is a part of their own idenity, and any criticism of the music from another is then interpreted as an attack on the self. Why can't we all close our eyes and listen with open ears? What's wrong with being critical and having an opinion that is not the same as everyone else's?
It seems as if people don't want to listen to music, they just use music as an image enhancer. The author of this article says, 'I didn’t even have to force myself to like them' – why would you force yourself to like anything? The answer is that it is 'cool' to like certain things, and people just yearn to be cool.