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April 8, 2008

Islands Are Just Gonna Have To Explain This Album Art To Us One Day

thumbnail icon: Islands Are Just Gonna Have To Explain This Album Art To Us One Day

Because as album art goes this is pretty out there, team. We're talking about Islands' forthcoming Arm's Way, which has inspired a few gushes here and there. And by the LP's newly revealed artistic rendering, the way of the arm is a trippy and quasi-Biblical one. There are arms, at least. It's best expressed pithily, so the one word review: Whoa.

While you chew on that cherubic goodness, we'll load you up on the pertinent info: Arm's Way is out 5/20 on Anti-, and there are a few MP3s and tour dates this way.

If you're ready to start scrolling again, we decided to end here with a trio of tunes from Islands' much loved SXSW set at the Cedar St. Courtyard last month, including a couple of newbies and a "Whalebone" with Subtitle getting strangled by a mallet.

"VERTIGO (IF IT'S A CRIME)"

"THE ARM"

"WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WHALEBONE"

Posted at 6:05 PM in ,
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19 Comments

MuffinsQ

its clearly supposed to be a vagina

Posted by: MuffinsQ profile link at 04/08/08 9:29 PM | Reply
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Maybe it's the weed, but that looks like a vagina.

Posted by: diego at 04/08/08 9:51 PM | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

Looks more like you're looking through a large hole blown out of someone's chest. There's blood and pieces of shattered ribcage with visible intercostal muscles between the ribs.

Posted by: tylenolmonkey at 04/08/08 10:42 PM | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

Yeah, I see ribs. That ain't no va-jay-jay.

Posted by: Johnnyboy at 04/08/08 11:40 PM | Reply
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whatever it is, it's borderline disturbing and borderline art.

Posted by: umm... at 04/08/08 11:49 PM | Reply
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......... but isn't that the idea?

Posted by: b.LOUD in reply to umm...'s comment at 04/09/08 7:06 AM | Reply
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As best I can tell from what I've heard about the album (it's another concept album, those are sure getting popular, aren't they), and from having listened to The Arm, the story of this album probably follows a comatose car-crash victim.

So there is a whole story inside the wound, and I think the album cover is fantastic for that reason. I'm still not sure about if the new record can top RTTS but I'm very excited, regardless of how awesome this album art is. Can't wait to pick this one up in stores.

Posted by: Sam at 04/09/08 12:04 AM | Reply
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What stores will carry this remains to be seen. Though I doubt Wal/Kmart, I do see a "protective sleeve" in this album's distributive future because we have to protective the children, right?

Posted by: A-non-WHY?-mus in reply to Sam's comment at 04/09/08 7:21 AM | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

fantastic theory. still looks like a va-gi to me.

Posted by: diego at 04/09/08 12:36 AM | Reply
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Jay-Z tribute album?

Posted by: David Blake at 04/09/08 12:55 AM | Reply
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Anyone that thinks this looks like a vagina has never actually seen one before. I'm much more inclined to go with Sam's theory. Also, I'm hard pressed to find anything here that is overtly Biblical. I know it maybe looks like it should be, but it isn't.

Posted by: Zayin_451 at 04/09/08 12:57 AM | Reply
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does anyone else see the Back to the Future Car on the left?

Posted by: vinylychallenged at 04/09/08 1:13 AM | Reply
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Not sure that's a DeLorean, but I do see Bigfoot - wearing sunglasses & a rocket-pack.

Posted by: Seamus at 04/09/08 1:56 AM | Reply
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I think it is a close-up of Jacko's nose

Posted by: Pete at 04/09/08 10:16 AM | Reply
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so that's what's inside a vagina....huh.

Posted by: berry at 04/09/08 11:41 AM | Reply
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something about that reminds me of mark ryden's work

Posted by: magpie at 04/09/08 12:08 PM | Reply
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k

"Anyone that thinks this looks like a vagina has never actually seen one before. "

Perfect reply! And there is nothing - past colors and the fact that it *is* art - that draws comparison[s] to anything Ryden has ever done.

Posted by: k profile link at 04/09/08 12:16 PM | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down


I don't see how anyone could imply that a fleshy pink opening is somehow representative of a vagina. That's crazy talk! Artists only represent the body in a photorealistic way and leave no room for ambiguity.

Posted by: MF McNutt at 04/09/08 12:41 PM | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

there's a hole in france where the naked ladies dance

Posted by: m at 04/09/08 12:44 PM | Reply
Score = 4 Vote up Vote down

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