TUFF BREAK

If you haven't already heard the rumors, Canadian band The Unicorns have broken up. The news is really disappointing. Despite many differing opinions on the group, 2003's album Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? really was a piece of pop genius. The Unicorns were great song writers, always managing to sound off-the-cuff, and creating unbeleivably catch songs without choruses. Their untraditional, forward-moving song structures were probably my favorite part about them, if not their wicked sense of humor.

I was lucky enough to see the group in concert three times in 2004: at the 7t St. Entry in January, at the Triple Rock in April, and at the Insound show at Volume in Brooklyn during Siren Fest weekend. Watching the band evolve over seven months, I can't say that their break-up really surprises me. With each performance, The Unicorns became more and more disheveled. The first time I saw them was great; they played most of the album plus some new songs, interacted with the audience a little ("Predator for president!"), and seemed generally happy. In April, they became a little more reactive to the crowd, calling one young attendee's mom on her cell phone. They also played less songs, were a bit more unkempt, and obviously a little fed-up with the same show every night. Then, in Brooklyn, the band looked like it was about to explode. The band members looked like they hated everyone in the audience, whom they harldy acknowledged, the songs were more tightly-wound and faster than ever, and they were hardly in uniform, nevermind looking homeless.

But the band was still playing as tight as ever, and their new songs were delightful to hear. I was really looking forward to whatever record that rising tension would produce. In particluar, they played a new song beginning with the band leaving the stage to have the blonde guitarist solo, then the rest of the band joined him on stage to finish the song with a big punch. Also, their haunted house schtick was funny each time, and led into a great song.

I would post the first song, but I don't seem to have it (can someone send it my way?), and the second song is almost twelve minutes long. Instead, I am posting a live version of "The Clap" (from an Atlanta show). The album version of the song is super short, but infectious in it's pop punch. Live, the band liked to point out the unoriginality of the chord progresion, and play pop hits in the middle of the song, making it into some bizarre kind of medley.

Also breaking up this week is the Welsh trio Mclusky. I absolutlely love the insane tracks "To Hell with Good Intentions" and "Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues" by the band, but have never really made the time to get into the rest of their recorded material, or see them live. I did have a chance to talk with Andy when the band stopped by the studio to do a live set while I was DJing during Powersurge, and he was a really smart, nice guy. He seemed a little fed up with the music business, but I really can't imagine many artists who wouldn't be.