Real Life by Sky Island: An Album Review

It’s emo, it’s rock, and it’s poetic. Sky Island’s “Real Life” is everything you want in an immersive album.

With a cover drawn by Jason Colehour, a tattoo artist and long time friend of the band, mixed and mastered by Adam Tucker, they have meshed together this beautifully messy yet cohesive record. Sky Island admitted to not editing anything, as well as the tracks having mistakes that they purposely kept to keep everything real, and of course to adhere to the title, “Real Life”.

Narrative yet melodic. Clearly, every song tells a part of the whole picture; it’s a concept album at its finest. As such, it is most definitely recommended to listen chronologically. But, it is amazing how you could listen to any of it just fine without hearing the song before it first. Be warned, though; after hearing the spoken poetry that can be found in almost all of the tracks, you just might be inclined to head on over to the main album’s page and listen to all of it entirely.

Yes, you heard it right: almost every song has a sort of poem or anecdote at the end. So imagine you’re listening to “Red Rose” on its own, which would just feel complete if you listen to “Down To Earth” next. If you think about it, it’s just really a clever way of storytelling; that or an incredible marketing play by Sky Island! “Friend Is Me”, “Right Or Wrong”, “Boat Song”, “Monochrome” all have those at the end of their runtime, acting as little clues or making the story interesting as you progress through the album. Not to mention they are all catchy, and definitely rewindable if this is really your style of music.

Speaking of their sound, think emo, rock, soulful vocals that utter every word like they mean it. With an open mind, they are interchangeable with your favorite bands, as they are influenced by the same ones. Amazing licks and riffs played to perfection, then topped off with the whole concept? Admit it, it’s incredible. They are incredible. Rock out to “Solitude” and “Ghost In A Room”, the latter acting as a tiny break from the gritty awesomeness (Although, it does have a sick solo! Just comes to show that this album is also consistent) of each of the other tracks. Think of it as a breather, as it contains lyrics like “Just waiting to find a color other than blue”.

After almost half an hour of getting sucked into Sky Island’s world, the record ends with the tenth track, “Remedy”. The culmination of the whole storyline, if you ask me. Because once you reach it, everything feels done, you feel fulfilled and satisfied. “Tell the spirits not today, ‘cause the darkness is my remedy” is not your average happy line, but it’s sung in such a catchy chorus that will make you think otherwise.

All in all, it feels as though Sky Island just wrote a novella and converted it into a full-blown album, and it’s incredible. If you’re looking for concept albums because they are definitely hard to come by, this one’s for you.