Ed. Note: This is a reprint of the original review from Cerberus Issue #23. This is in conjunction with TMT’s Favorite Labels of the Decade, in which Stunned was highlighted.
Even as Stunned finds the best, the best still find them. So goes the story of Remote Island, a collection of Philly musicians led by Colin Pate. He sent Stunned Days of Heaven and now we stand face-to-face with 2011’s newest pop gem. The juxtaposition of Remote Island’s sunrise set against Stunned’s fade-out is hard to ignore; Days of Heaven heavy with quirky pop quality that has been absent from Stunned’s laundry list of equally excellent excursions. Many will peg Remote Islands as the next ‘it’ due to the accessibility of their sounds, but beneath the smooth veneer is a morass of sound and invention that plays itself more toward old-fashioned tomfoolery than grand visions of Elephant 6 and Paw Tracks copycats. Succinct guitar and drums mesh with Casio samples and 8-bit tinkering. Remote Islands find that, when throwing everything at the wall, it all sticks. Colin Pate’s rag-tag orchestra will soon find themselves underneath bright lights and the headline fodder of bloggers. For now, just enjoy the ride.
