Let's discuss the elephant in the room: All my songs on this list are from the same album. Does this make me a fan of Islands or a fan of Taste (2016) by the Islands? The truth is, I don't actually know. Maybe I am just a fan of Taste but let me wholly assure you in this justification. Taste is plain and simply brilliant. Of all the bands with their various albums I've talked about on this website, Taste is by far the most unknown. Islands are an indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada with not too much exposure in the music world. More unfortunately, the band is currently inactive however their legacy still remains. Taste is (in my opinion) the magnum opus of Islands. Taste showcases the electronic, dance-oriented tendencies of the group, with every track in the album bearing catchy hooks. However, it's the five songs that I've listed here that really elevate the album.

Normally, dance and synth-pop elements aren't found in the genre of indie rock but The Weekend is a perfect example of what they're missing out on. In an perfect combination of traditional instruments and synthesizer The Weekend culminates in an absolute masterpiece of a song highlighted by Nick Thorburn's singing. The upbeat song and tempo combined with the sentimental lyrics evoke some sort of longing I can't quite pinpoint. You should also do yourself a favour and take a peek at their music video shot with a mix of grainy footage and an iPhone which really adds a lovely nostalgic quality to the song. (Also Nick displays some honest to god good dancing).

When I initially sat down to write about Charm Offensive, I started with something along the lines of how it was less upbeat than The Weekend. Yet after listening to it again, this quite untrue. Charm Offensive is a little more mellow for sure, but the fast rhythm and bassline keep the song upbeat. Once again utilizing a healthy amount of synthesizer the track continues with the sublime synth/rock fusion. Charm Offensive was in fact, the first Islands song I had ever listened to and I was instantly hooked.

Next up is Pumpkin - according to Spotify, Pumpkin is actually the bands most listened to track - and it's easy to see why. The song immediately opens with a mellow synth hook paired with the high range vocals of Nick's singing. Pumpkin is noticeably slower than the rest of the songs on the track, but it's a nice reprieve from the funk/dance heavier tracks on the album, and thus adding to the variety of the album itself.

I want to talk about Carried Away next, putting this on the top 5 was a tight race between itself and No Milk, No Sugar. Ultimately either song could really have taken this spot but I ended up choosing Carried Away on a bit of a whim. Carried Away has elements of progressive rock as it ramps up throughout the song almost as if to say "look at me - I'm Carried Away". And just as it comes in, the song leaves and outro with a smooth fade away. Perfect.

This brings us to the last song I want to touch upon in the Islands discography: Outspoken Dirtbiker. When people ask me what my favourite Islands song is I never answer with Outspoken Dirtbiker. Now here's the strange bit. I listened to a lot of Islands (by Islands I mean Taste) in the 2019 year. And my most played song actually happened to be - you guesssed it - Outspoken Dirtbiker. I can't really quite fathom it but there's a beauty to Outspoken Dirtbiker that I can't place. Maybe it's just something you'll have to hear yourself to understand how I feel.