17
The Unicorns
Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone
"I Don't Wanna Die" – 2:03
"Tuff Ghost" – 2:57
"Ghost Mountain" – 3:10
"Sea Ghost" – 3:42
"Jellybones" – 2:43
"The Clap" – 1:26
"Child Star" – 5:21
"Let's Get Known" – 1:57
"I Was Born (A Unicorn)" – 2:45
"Tuff Luff" – 4:19
"Inoculate the Innocuous" – 5:18
"Les Os" – 3:32
"Ready to Die" – 1:42
The reasons as to why i love this album are manifold. Released in 2003, i bought it unwittingly the same year. I'll be honest, the reason i got it in the first place was the front cover and the small description the seller had stuck in the corner. I was 16 at the time, musically ignorant to an extent and head-deep in a Libertines phase. I was becoming increasingly disenchanted to the music i was listening to so thought '**** it, lets take a chance with this, might be amazing'.
When i first listened to it, i hated it. Thought it was incoherent, sloppy and uninspiring crap. It wasnt until about a year later that i really got it. I began listening to it more and more until, one fateful day, i realised it was awesome. It consequently opened me up to a whole new avenue of music i'd constantly overlooked.
Another reason why i love this is the constant shifting in mood and theme. One minute the album will linger, creep and solemnly coil around your ears, then suddenly, sometimes in the same song, it will without warning blossom into this sun-kissed, deeply joyous pop that cannot fail in bringing a smile to your face. Child Star for example has about 3 sections to it, beginning in a somewhat mournful, dark chord progression before exploding into an angst-fuelled crunch of distorted guitar based around a quiet-loud dynamic. It ends quite inexplicably in a dainty, summery twee pop as the dual vocalists coo their hatred for another. You never know what direction the music is going to take, it never bores nor becomes predictable; the band are masters in creating perfect pop songs, merging electronica with garage rock and twee pop which they then proceed in injecting with a myriad of moods, instruments and themes.
The thing about this album is you have to realise they're not altogether serious. It's basically a parody, but what came of it (I think unintentionally) are 13 tunes that not only passes as great pop rock, but can be further appreciated for its subtle irony, socio-cultural commentary and exploration into the human condition. Bottom line though, it's a fantastic listen for its assortment of musical stylizationm, uniqueness, catchy tunes, and strangely intelligent wit.