We love animals. In fact, we're secretly training to be EAMTs (Emergency Animal Medical Technicians) so that we can save kittens and turtles and gerbils. We aren't alone in this love, however, as is evident by the longstanding trend of animal-centric band names: The Eagles, The Unicorns, Tortoise, Grizzly Bear, The Animals, Super Furry Animals, Band of Horses, Cat Power, Le Tigre, Modest Mouse, Gorillaz, Doves, Eels, Sparklehorse, and now -- The Ponys. Ok,......

For those of us who are normally turning out the lights and falling asleep to the peaceful sounds of ocean waves and gulls around midnight, last night's Islands show at Emo's (with Why? and Cadence Weapon) was a nice alarm clock. Performing for a good-sized crowd (Monday night and the place was loaded), Islands put on a head-bobbing, toe-tapping and thoroughly breathless show, despite some minor sound glitches and hot, hot heat. Canada's Islands......

Formed by two former members of brilliant-but-short lived indie popsters The Unicorns a little over a year ago, Canada's Islands just recently released their debut LP, Return to the Sea, with a haunting cover taken from a mid-1820s painting by German romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. Back at SXSW, our friends over at See You In the Pit previewed this seven-piece, describing their songs as "strangely beautiful, quirky pop melodies combined with sprawling instrumentation,......