Nicholas Thorburn

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Nick Thorburn
Islands, Scandic Malmen 2.jpg
Nick Thorburn performing with Islands in Stockholm, 2012.
Background information
Birth nameNick Thorburn
Also known asNick Diamonds
Born (1981-11-27) 27 November 1981 (age 42)
Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada
Genres Indie rock, alternative rock, indie pop, lo-fi, electronica, alternative hip hop, hip hop, rock, art rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, drum machine, percussion, echoplex, recorder, glockenspiel, accordion
Years active2002–present
LabelsRough Trade, ANTI-, Manqué

Nick Thorburn (born 27 November 1981), also known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, is a Canadian musician originally from Campbell River. He has fronted numerous bands such as The Unicorns, Th' Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highway.

Contents

History

Thorburn was born in 1981 in Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada, which he says has influenced his songwriting. [1] Nature, in particular whales, are a subject of interest; [2] his lyrics include references to rivers, swans and frogs. He also had a formative experience in a visit, along with his father, to see the killer whale Luna; his memories of the visit became an influential part of Islands' debut album Return to the Sea . [1]

Thorburn has fronted The Unicorns, Th' Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highway. [3] [4] Thorburn has gone by the stage name "Nick Diamonds." [1] [5]

His vocals have been noted as a distinguishing feature of The Unicorns and Islands. [6] [7] His production technique involves dark personification over enjoyable music, though he is "usually wary of composing dance tracks." [8] This contrast is observed in his live performance as well. [9]

In 2005, he co-wrote with Adam Gollner the satirical charity song "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" organizing the collaboration of many artists. [10] He guest performed on Les Savy Fav's 2007 album Let's Stay Friends . [11] Reefer , his collaborative album with producer Daddy Kev as Reefer, was released on Alpha Pup Records in 2008. [12]

Thorburn has made an album with Honus Honus (also known as Ryan Kattner) of the band Man Man: "One thing that has been floated around is Honus Honus from Man Man and I making a record in a new (sub)genre we are developing, called Doom Wop, which is essentially low frequency, and extremely slowed down music atop traditional doo wop harmonies. Or something." [13] [14] The project, called Mister Heavenly, also involves drummer Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse and The Black Heart Procession and has had actor Michael Cera playing bass on the tour. [15]

He released the solo album, I Am an Attic, on his Bandcamp page in 2011. [16] Thorburn was featured on the 2012 El-P album Cancer 4 Cure , singing the chorus of the track "Stay Down". [17] In 2014, Thorburn composed the theme music and score for the critically acclaimed podcast Serial. [18] In 2015, he released a second solo album titled City of Quartz. [19]

Discography

Albums

Guest appearances

Filmography

YearTitleNotes
2012 Only the Young composer
2013 Everyday Is Like Sunday actor
2013 Bitch actor
2013 Drunk History television series; extra [21]
2014 Lennon or McCartney in interview clip
2015 Diamond Tongues actor
2015 That Dog director, writer
2016 Golden Vanity composer
2017 Sundowners Nick; also composer
2019The Ripper (Huluween short) actor

See also

Related Research Articles

The Unicorns were a Canadian rock band formed in the year 2000 by Nicholas Thorburn of British Columbia and Alden Penner of Quebec. J'aime Tambeur joined in December 2003. The band announced their split in late 2004, before reuniting for a short run of shows in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Savy Fav</span> American indie rock band

Les Savy Fav is an American indie rock band based in New York City. Their style is influenced by art punk and post-hardcore. The group is known for the stage presence of lead singer Tim Harrington. The band is signed to Frenchkiss Records, which is owned by the band's bassist, Syd Butler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islands (band)</span> Canadian indie rock band

Islands is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The group was founded in 2005 by Nicholas Thorburn and Jamie Thompson, shortly after the breakup of The Unicorns, of which both were members. Their current lineup includes Thorburn, often known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, along with brothers Evan Gordon and Geordie Gordon, and Adam Halferty. The band has released 10 studio albums, with their 10th album, What Occurs, released on June 21, 2024.

<i>Return to the Sea</i> 2006 studio album by Islands

Return to the Sea is the first studio album by Islands. It was released by Equator Records on 4 April 2006. "Rough Gem" was released as a single from the album. The remastered version of the album was released on 11 November 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Fuck</span> Canadian electronica band

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man Man</span> American experimental rock band

Man Man is an American experimental rock band from Philadelphia currently based in Los Angeles. Lead singer, songwriter, and lyricist Honus Honus is accompanied by a group of multi-instrumentalist musicians and vocalists.

<i>Six Demon Bag</i> 2006 studio album by Man Man

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alden Penner</span> Canadian musician and producer (born 1983)

Alden Penner is a Canadian musician and producer best known for his work with the Unicorns, Clues, and for his solo output.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Plummer</span> American drummer

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<i>Lets Stay Friends</i> 2007 studio album by Les Savy Fav

Let's Stay Friends is the fourth full-length album by Les Savy Fav. It was released on September 18, 2007. The album was #5 in NME albums of the year list, #16 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007, and #44 on Pitchfork's list.

<i>Rabbit Habits</i> 2008 studio album by Man Man

Rabbit Habits is the third album by experimental rock group Man Man. The album incorporates raspy vocals, jangly guitars, synths, bells, acoustic guitar, and, as heard on "Mysteries of the Universe Unraveled" and "Doo Right", fireworks.

<i>Arms Way</i> 2008 studio album by Islands

Arm's Way is the second studio album by Montreal-based indie rock band Islands. It was released on May 20, 2008, on CD and download. The album's title is a play on the words "harm's way". The album leaked online on April 11, 2008.

Jamie Thompson is a Canadian musician who has been the drummer for several Canadian bands, including Islands and Th' Corn Gangg. Jamie was a founding member of the Unicorns. The band's first major album, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?, was a huge hit and helped give the Unicorns a cult following among indie listeners.

Syd Butler is an American musician and co-founder of the indie rock and post-hardcore band Les Savy Fav. In 1999, he founded Frenchkiss Records. Butler also served as the bassist for the 8G Band, the house band for Late Night with Seth Meyers, from 2014 to 2024.

<i>Vapours</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Islands

Vapours is the third studio album by Montreal-based indie rock band, Islands. It was released on September 22, 2009. Talking to Pitchfork, singer Nick Diamonds stated how he stripped away many of the layers present on the previous Islands album, 2008's Arm's Way. "I needed to withdraw from overblown metaphors and filling every possible sonic space," said Diamonds. "So this record is just made up of sequenced programming, synths, drum machines, guitars, and real bass. And an electric sitar." In this album, Nick "Diamonds" began going by his real name, "Nick Thorburn" and original drummer Jamie Thompson returned to the band.

<i>Dinner with the Band</i> 2009 American TV series or program

Dinner With The Band is an American food reality show hosted by chef Sam Mason. It began as an ON Networks web series in March 2007 but was later acquired by the Independent Film Channel and premiered as a full-length 30-min television show on November 24, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mister Heavenly</span> US musical group

Mister Heavenly is an indie rock supergroup consisting of Honus Honus of Man Man, Nicholas Thorburn of Islands and The Unicorns, and Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse and The Shins. They recorded their first album in late 2010, finishing the year with a string of tour dates supporting Passion Pit, joined by Michael Cera as their touring bassist. In January 2011, they released two songs, the eponymous "Mister Heavenly" and "Pineapple Girl". Their first album, Out of Love, was released August 16, 2011. On July 19, 2017, a brief "coming soon" video was posted on the official Mister Heavenly Facebook account teasing a new release. On July 26, 2017, their first single "Beat Down" from the new album titled Boxing the Moonlight was released on YouTube. The album was released October 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?</span> 2005 single by The North American Halloween Prevention Initiative

"Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" is a charity record inspired by "Do They Know It's Christmas?". It was released on October 11, 2005, in Canada on Vice Records by a cast of rock artists and other performers under the name "North American Halloween Prevention Initiative" (NAHPI). It reached number four on the Canadian Singles Chart.

Reefer is an alternative hip hop group based in Maui County, Hawaii. It consists of Nicholas Thorburn and Daddy Kev. The duo released the debut album, Reefer, on Alpha Pup Records in 2008. Their song, "May Baleen", was listed by Consequence of Sound as one of the Top 10 Subaquatic Tunes in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Harrington (singer)</span> American musician and designer

Tim Harrington is an American musician and designer who has been the lead singer of New York indie rock band Les Savy Fav since they formed while together at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1995. He is notable for his energetic stage performances which often include multiple changes of clothing and performing in his underwear. He describes his style as "acting entirely by my own desire and what moves me. I've always felt like the only real people I'm particularly trying to entertain are the rest of the guys in the band and myself". He fronted a video series called "Beardo" on Pitchfork Media.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Van Evra, Jennifer (3 November 2006). "One man's Islands". The Globe and Mail . Toronto. theglobeandmail.com. p. R6. ISSN   0319-0714.
  2. ↑ Pareles, Jon (11 October 2006). "A Barrage of Calamities Set to a Vintage Soundtrack". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. OCLC   1645522 . Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  3. ↑ "Nicholas Thorburn Credits". Allmusic . Retrieved 6 December 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ Home is where the broken heart is for Islands’ Nick Thorburn | National Post
  5. ↑ Carew, Anthony (10 December 2004). "Horned wonder". The Age . Melbourne. theage.com.au. ISSN   0312-6307 . Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  6. ↑ Jordan Hickey (11 April 2006). "Islands worth a visit". The Maneater . Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  7. ↑ Jim Withington (12 July 2007). "Up & Coming". The Portland Mercury . Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  8. ↑ Ben Breier (5 October 2005). "Islands: All metaphorical, not at all tropical". University Wire. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  9. ↑ Lauren Hill (20 October 2006). "Islands' show reveals a disappointing mediocrity". The Johns Hopkins News-Letter . Retrieved 30 December 2007. Out to pick a fight, Diamonds quickly found an audience member to bicker with early in the set. His sulky demeanor contrasted oddly with the band's peppy pop songs.
  10. ↑ "Sum 41, The Arcade Fire And Beck Collaborate On Anti-Halloween Single". Chart . Toronto. chartattack.com. 22 August 2005. ISSN   1198-7235. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ↑ Katie Hasty (21 August 2007). "Les Savy Fav Thinks Big On First Album Since '01". Billboard . Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  12. ↑ Grandy, Eric (23 October 2008). "Album Review – Reefer: Reefer". The Stranger .
  13. ↑ Weiss, Evan (20 October 2009). "Music: "Vapours" by Islands". The Arts Section (blog). Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  14. ↑ Charlesworth, Jenny (29 December 2009). "Islands and Man Man Join Forces for 'Doom-Wop' Project". Spinner . Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  15. ↑ Michaels, Sean (2 December 2010). "Michael Cera joins real-life indie band". The Guardian . London. guardian.co.uk. ISSN   0261-3077. OCLC   60623878.
  16. ↑ Bevan, David (26 August 2011). "Nick Diamonds: I Am an Attic". Pitchfork Media .
  17. ↑ Weiss, Sam (15 October 2012). "Video: El-P f/ Nick Diamonds "Stay Down"". Complex .
  18. ↑ "Serial Podcast Website".
  19. ↑ "Nick Diamonds: City of Quartz Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  20. ↑ "The Sting, by Nick Diamonds". Nick Diamonds. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  21. ↑ Bell, Mike (25 March 2014). "Islands still floating closely, optimistically towards mainstream success". The Calgary Herald . Retrieved 11 November 2016.
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