The Unicorns: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

BAND: The Unicorns

ALBUM: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?

MEMBERS: Nick “Neil Diamonds” Thorburn & Alden “Ginger” Penner (drums, synthesizers, keyboard, percussion, drum machine, toy piano, toy organ, echoplex, bass, guitar, tape, melodian, recorder, glockenspiel, accordion, vocals), Jaime “J’amie Tambeur” Thompson (Drums on “Tuff Ghost”, “Jellybones”, “I Was Born (a Unicorn)”, “Inoculate the Innocuous”, and “Les Os”) Richard Reed Parry (Trumpet on ‘I Don’t Wanna Die”; Bowed Bass on “Sea Ghost”), Joellen Housego (Fiddle on “Tuff Luff”; Violin on “Let’s Get Known”) Randy Peters (Penny Whistle on “Tuff Luff”; Clarinet on “Let’s Get Known”) Tim Kramer (Cellos on “Ready to Die”), Maxime Pellisier (Clarinet on “Child Star”), Deanna Fong (Voice on “Les Os”)

SONGS: I Don’t Wanna Die, Tuff Ghost, Ghost Mountain, Sea Ghost, Jellybones, The Clap, Child Star, Let’s Get Known, I was Born (A Unicorn), Tuff Luff, Inoculate the Innocuous, Les Os, Ready To Die.

REVIEW:

As the millennium of music has approached, almost everything we here is in one way or another completely guidelines approve. Quoting the great Marilyn Manson “Everything’s been said before. Nothing left to say anymore. When it is all the same you can ask for it by name” Everything follows a formula and has to be approved by the media. Like the grind house films of the sixties threw eighties, there are underground unknown bands who have cult followings. One such band is The Unicorns with there 2004 album: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We Are Gone?.

This album, in a nutshell, is a completely different experience then from anything that you will here in this year of music. Like a giant burst of fresh air hitting your face unexpectedly on a boiling hot day. The use of sounds, the tone, the atmosphere, and the overall presentation of these 12 songs gave me the feeling I first had when I listened to The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band, an album I have the upright most respect for.

The first song, I Don’t Wanna Die, give you the complete works of what is to come from such an out standing album. You will get a feeling that this is from the 1960’s due to similar vocal styles used by the late John Lennon. The assortment of instruments that you began to hear, along with the vocal styles and sound effects, are rather odd, but it works in the end.

Tuff Ghost established one thing and one thing only: This band knows how to make great introductions. The main things to look for in this song is the drum beats and the synthesizers used. It does not add anything more to the standard that was created by I Don’t Wanna Die, but regardless, it is still a great song.

The main thing track three, Ghost Mountain, does is show that this band does have some ability to create normal length songs (three minutes - five minutes) and do that in a very nice way. This album’s main attraction is the synthesizer’s parts in this film.

Okay, stop everything! A Flute Solo?! That is beyond unexpected and yet so great that that it makes Sea Ghost an instant land mark on this album. Mix that with the always simple drum rhythm and the sound that sounds like a garage band than one that relies on sound effects. This is a song that sounds different than any leading up to this point and it is an automatic win.

Jellybones starts off with a sound effect of someone stopping a vinyl on a turn table followed but with a synthetic keyboard playing the intro. Then it continues till then end of the song with different, random instruments coming and going as they please.

The Clap is a rather short song that is mostly drums and a guitar screaming along with someone mid way screaming in tune with the guitar. Does not do anything for the album in general, but still great for a fun listen.

The song Child Star has a rather nice haunting quality that actually works along with the drum being at it’s highest peak here. The vocals are soft, but that only compliments the tone of the album. A high peak here. And, the entire ‘I hate you’ part at the end of the songs was unexpected, but great.

This song starts off with talk of satanic cults and something that sounds like the ending of a commercial. ‘Let’s Get Famous’, after that, does sound like a typical song on this album. The only thing worth while is the end of the song when they have the sound effects of a helicopter playing until the song ends.

‘I was born (a unicorn)’ is a song that does stand up after listening to the rest of this album previously. Instrumental wise, this song does a good job. Lyrically, it fit’s the title very well. A nice, short fun song on this album. With out a doubt, there them song.

‘Tuff Luff’ is a song that makes good usage of violins and a nice fiddle. This song is nice, different, and something to look for if you decide to listen to this album.

Inoculate The Innocuous is one that is only okay. This is an okay song. How are the vocals? Okay. Instruments? Okay. This is the only song on the album, if listened to from start to finish, would have no effect. Kind of a disappointment. Still a good song, but placed on this album, it makes it only okay.

Les Os is a complete shock after hearing the ‘okay’ Inoculate the Innocuous”. This is fast paced, a little bit heavy, and very well made. Another high point of this album. Best thing about it: The vocals and the background sound effects that makes one think about this being made in a garage.

The final song, Ready To Die, is a perfect ending to this album. Not only does it take most of the best from this entire album, but also it is quite tongue in cheek seeing that this is the final studio album by The Unicorns.

Overall, this is a very fun album to listen to if you are someone who wants to heard something completely different than the normal music that is on pop/ rock/ indie stations or if you love The Beatles as seeing that this album is heavily influenced. This band had a lot going for it, then they dismembered the group. But most of the members still perform but under the name: Islands.