- Nicholas Thorburn
-
Nicholas Thorburn (born November 27, 1981) is a Canadian musician who has fronted The Unicorns, Th' Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highway. He has gone by the stage name "Nick Diamonds."[1][2]
He grew up on Vancouver Island, which he says has influenced his songwriting.[1] Nature, in particular whales, are a subject of interest;[3] 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]
His vocals have been noted as a distinguishing feature of The Unicorns and Islands.[4][5] His production technique involves dark personification over enjoyable music, though he is "usually wary of composing dance tracks."[6] This contrast is observed in his live performance as well.[7]
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.[8] He guest performed on Les Savy Fav's 2007 album Let's Stay Friends.[9]
He has made an album with Man Man's Honus Honus: "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."[10] The project, called Mister Heavenly, also involves drummer Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse and Black Heart Procesion and has had actor Michael Cera[11] playing on bass on the tour.
References
- ^ a b c Van Evra, Jennifer (2006-11-03). "One man's Islands" (fee required). The Globe and Mail. p. R6. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FLAC.20061103.ISLANDS3VAN%2FTPStory%2F%3Fquery%3D%2522Nicholas%2BThorburn%2522&ord=41998356&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true.
- ^ Anthony Carew (2004-12-10). "Horned wonder". The Age (Melbourne). http://www.theage.com.au/news/Music/Horned-wonder/2004/12/09/1102182372472.html. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ Jon Pareles (2006-10-11). "A Barrage of Calamities Set to a Vintage Soundtrack". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/arts/music/11isla.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/M/Music. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ Jordan Hickey (2006-04-11). "Islands worth a visit". The Maneater. http://www.themaneater.com/article.php?id=23996. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ Jim Withington (2007-07-12). "Up & Coming". The Portland Mercury. http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?category=22187&issue=365059. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ Ben Breier (2005-10-05). "Islands: All metaphorical, not at all tropical". University Wire. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-19608522_ITM. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ Lauren Hill (2006-10-19). "Islands' show reveals a disappointing mediocrity". The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2006/10/19/ArtsAndEntertainment/Islands.Show.Reveals.A.Disappointing.Mediocrity-2379603.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-30. "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."
- ^ "Sum 41, The Arcade Fire And Beck Collaborate On Anti-Halloween Single". Chart. 2005-08-22. http://www.chartattack.com/news/39357/sum-41-the-arcade-fire-and-beck-collaborate-on-anti-halloween-single. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ Katie Hasty (2007-08-21). "Les Savy Fav Thinks Big On First Album Since '01". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003628423. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ Evan Weiss (2009-10-20). "The Arts Section: Islands Feature". The Arts Section. http://www.theartssection.com/2009/10/music-vapours-by-islands.html. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ Michaels, Sean (2010-12-02). "Michael Cera joins real-life indie band". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/dec/02/michael-cera-real-indie-band?&CMP=EMCMUSEML1647.
Categories:- 1981 births
- Living people
- Canadian rock singers
- Canadian male singers
- Canadian songwriters
- Canadian indie rock musicians
- Canadian musician stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
