April 19, 2004

{ The Unicorns: 2014 }

The Unicorns have a way of mixing innocence with sleaziness and manipulating their listeners just enough to make sleazy innocence really charming. Their new 7-inch, "The Unicorns: 2014," out on Suicide Squeeze records, comes on purple-grey vinyl (your first reason to buy it). Its disconcerting artwork, done in colored pencil by band member Nicholas Diamonds, is a sort of pubescent Halloween scene that includes skulls, pills, a syringe, a flying boob, an acid-raindrop being cut in half, a narwhale, a space shuttle, and other strangely unrelated objects. So it takes a couple of minutes of digesting this artwork before you can possibly put needle to record. But please do. Side A is "2014," a menacing, circussy dance song that sounds a little like a dream sequence from some scary early-80's sci-fi movie. Fuzzy guitar and off-timed keyboards contribute to a hard disco beat that gets broken down and resurrected several times. You will dance. You will want ten minutes more of it. The B-side, "Emasculate the Masculine," is in a more standard rock style, but with unexpected details. A loose guitar style plays against precise drumming, and is joined later by a popping, draggy keyboard sound (one of The Unicorns' signature elements). The sweet-sounding vocal melody belies the song's creepy lyrics, which are tough to discern, but definitely include the line "This could be the sound of me breaking/into your room late at night/slitting your throat and cutting off your dick." Yikes! These angelic young boys have a sinister underbelly, and they're showing it proudly. "The Unicorns: 2014" comes on CD as well as sexy vinyl. Order either one today, and set to creepin' and rockin' yourself out. - Written by Vikki Warner

» Suicide Squeeze Records
» The Unicorns' official site

By Alan Smithee in Music | Comments:

Comments

Great post Vikki! I just did an interview with Serigraphie Populaire (Seripop) and they are big Unicorns fans, so I've been wanting to hear more about the band. If you get a chance to see any of Seripop's posters for the band's gigs I highly reccomend doing so.
(I think there's some on their website- seripop.com and maybe also on gigposter.com if you do a search on the band's name)
They only work with bands whose ethics align with their own, so I've got respect for the Unicorns already, and your write-up has only given me more.
I look forward to hearing more from you.

Posted by: Adam at April 19, 2004 4:43 PM

Oops, I forgot... look for the Seripop interview to be posted on Crown Dozen soon!

Posted by: Adam at April 19, 2004 4:45 PM

these guys are great. i saw them live not too long ago. one of my new favorites.

Posted by: Phil at November 4, 2004 8:52 PM

Well said about 2014. I couldn't have listened to 20 minutes more of it.
Too bad Pitchfork doesn't agree with me.

Posted by: sweet pea at March 24, 2005 2:25 AM