Islands' front man Nick Thorburn and Canadian songwriter Jim Guthrie have joined together to form Human Highway and, in the process, have brought the world a meticulously crafted gem of spacey pseudo-psychedelic AM inspired pop with Moody Motorcycle.  And when I say meticulously crafted, I mean it!  The boys locked themselves in Guthrie's Toronto apartment for a couple of weeks and fed themselves a steady diet of golden coast folk and Everly Brothers-inspired harmonies, mixed in a bit of the Islands-style songwriting, and emerged with a record that's a perfect fit for the long August nights of the northwest.  Standouts like "Sleep Walking" and "Duties of a Lighthouse Keeper" will definitely make my Jams of 2008 list, but the record is a brilliant piece of work that unveils wonderful layers with each listen.  If you have a turn table, you must buy this bad boy on vinyl - it is the only way to go!  (And with a seriously wicked album cover to boot as well!).
 

Grant McCallum-Barsuk Records