The Isles

It's a damn good thing The Isles contacted me via MySpace because, like a jerk, I missed seeing them open for Islands and never thought twice about it. After checking out their songs I see that I missed out on a band I probably would've really dug.

Their sound is a blend of styles I love, 80's guitar driven British pop/rock and 90's indie rock. Something along the lines of The Smiths meet Pavement & Blur but those kinds of comparisons never end up telling the whole story. These songs are pop driven romantic melancholy rock that groove as much as they jangle. Music that makes you wish you had an afternoon to bimble about town visiting various used book/record stores. Though at times the guitars veer towards Interpol territory, the end product never seems as forced or 'put on' as that of the aforementioned band. Somehow, for a band hailing from New York, The Isles have found a perfectly natural English sound.

Visit The Isles on MySpace

Listen:
"Flying Under Cheap Kites"
"True South"

See them live:
6 January 2006 @ The Mercury Lounge
14 January 2006 @ Northsix