Islands main man Nicholas Thorburn has revived his glam-rock-inspired pseudonym, Nick Diamonds, and that’s one of many ways Islands’ critically acclaimed new disc, Vapours, differs from the band’s previous album, Arm’s Way.

Considering that some see him as confident to the point of arrogance, is this flip-flop a sign that Thorburn’s plagued with more self-doubt than he lets on?

“That’s going to be my epitaph: ‘What made you change your mind... again?’” he sighs from a tour stop in Austin, Texas.

“Arm’s Way was a very earnest record, and my government name is more accurate for that. With Vapours, the entertainer in me crept out again and the idea of a persona made sense.”

That renewed interest in entertaining sparks an album that’s unabashedly pop, in the best way possible. The simple arrangements and production are a welcome change from the densely orchestrated prog tendencies of its predecessor, fulfilling the promise of Islands’ 2006 debut, Return To The Sea. 

It’s got to be a bit surreal, though, to read glowing review after glowing review of your new album all leading off with a jab at Arm’s Way, especially when the difficult second album actually received positive reviews.

“Yeah, every single review leads off that way. People have funny memories, and I think there are a lot of lazy writers out there who just toe the line and repeat what others have said.”

So does he agree with the complaints that Arm’s Way’s overproduction buried the hooks and missed the mark?

“Umm... sort of, I guess,” he cautiously allows. “But I don’t regret it at all. I was happy to make that record, and I’m happy to have been able to make the new record.”

It’s tempting to attribute his renewed pop mastery to the return of original Islands drummer Jamie Thompson. But Thorburn says Vapours is so refreshingly direct and immediate for more complicated reasons.

“You add an element and it changes everything else. It’s like alchemy or chemistry that way. So having Jamie back definitely changed things, but he wasn’t the reason this album is more straightforward and simple. That was determined long before.

“Hell, one of the songs predates even Return To The Sea, so these songs are not a direct reaction to what some people consider the overwrought bloat of Arm’s Way.”

But the lyrics to Vapours’ Auto-Tune-infected indie reggae track Heartbeats do take a jab at critics who couldn’t handle Arm’s Way’s ambition and bombast.

“That’s entirely accurate,” he chuckles, but refuses to get into the specifics. When asked if the use of the controversial robo-vocal effect was part of the slam at the critics, he says only, “At a certain point, it’s up for interpretation.”

There’s no question that Thorburn is a touch cocky. But if you’re thinking Vapours is an Axl Rose-style assault on his enemies, think again.

“Everyone has self-doubt, especially when you’re making yourself so public. That’s actually addressed in a couple of the songs – Disarming The Car Bomb and Vapours. I am confident in certain things, but when you’re putting yourself out there, there’s always the question of why you’re doing it. It’s a vulnerable place to be, but that’s not the overarching emotion. I think everyone faces those kinds of fears.”

Thorburn knows something about the risks of putting yourself out there from the days of intense buzz and hype surrounding his and Thompson’s pre-Islands band, the Unicorns, which Thorburn founded with Alden Penner (currently fronting the Clues). At the time, they were Montreal-based (Thorburn currently lives in Brooklyn, and Thompson has relocated to L.A.) and the indie music world was starting to catch on to the strong scene developing there. 

Unfortunately, drooling reviews on the hipster blogs coincided with the promising band’s implosion.

“If anything, the fighting between me and Alden was under-reported. We probably went the whole year of 2004 not exchanging more than 50 words. That created a lot of really nice musical tension, and if we could’ve continued and maintained that tension, we might have made some really excellent music, but it wasn’t up to me.”

Not that there’s an ongoing rivalry between Islands and Penner’s post-Unicorns project, Clues. In the years since, the two have kissed and made up, and can be seen at each other’s gigs on the rare occasions they play the same city.

Fortunately, Thorburn looks back fondly on his work with the Unicorns or he might be pulling out his hair at the frequent mention of that band in connection with Islands’ three albums after the Unicorns’ collapse. Many wonder if Islands can live up to the huge expectations for his previous band. Surprisingly, Thorburn doesn’t bristle at the suggestion that he’s only now living up to the promise people saw in the Unicorns.

“I think there’s some truth in that. I was 20 years old when I was in the Unicorns and playing bass even though I’d never played it before. I was really just developing then, but now I feel a lot more confident as a songwriter and musician. The band was very fertile, but I feel like I was still gestating.” 

Vapours is just picking up steam (pardon the pun), and Thorburn’s excited about the upcoming music video they’re making, starring Canadian nerd prince Michael Cera. “I blackmailed him into doing it,” Thorburn says mysteriously. 

However, even amidst all this activity, he’s already thinking about album number four.

“I have a bunch of songs written, but I might just start fresh and do something entirely different. Maybe I’ll make an instrumental ambient record,” he laughs.

So expect him to change his mind about Islands... again.

Interview Clips

Thorburn explains the roles of his current band on the sound of Vapours.

Thorburn comments on the Montreal indie explosion and its effect (or lack of effect) on the Unicorns.

No band is an island: read about the Islands connections to other notable bands.

benjaminb@nowtoronto.com