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

The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? (2003)

Genre: Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Lo-Fi

The Unicorns' sole studio album release in a mish-mash of goofy and creative ideas that makes for a fun and at times comedic listen. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

I appreciate the obvious fun that this band had in compiling this record. While not often classified as psychedelic, I can't help but hear traces of it throughout. Tuff Ghost features a prominent eerie bass and synth groove that brings to mind acid rock influences of the late 60's. The aforementioned fun I spoke of derives not only from the cool rhythms and creative music ideas being mended together, but also from the often zany lyrics that paint an absurd, but captivating story.

The title track I Don't Wanna Die and the closing track Ready to Die loosely tries to make of this a concept album, but is most surely done for simple comedic purposes. I couldn't help but actually laugh out loud at the ending track's abrupt ending, where the singer seems to choke, obviously indicating his sudden death. This kind of cleverness is only present in more subtle doses throughout, but it's silly all the same. Perhaps the most nonsensical lyrics come in the form of the song Jellybones, which from the title alone should be a good enough indication of what I mean.

For having a lo-fi aesthetic, the group still manages to sound completely confident in their craft, coming out very forward with their sound. It doesn't feel like a debut, but more so like a group who has had some experience under their belt, and so I applaud them for that. And on a completely unrelated note, I can't help but notice the sizeable number of times that ghosts are referenced throughout. It's ironically bittersweet how an album that heavily pushes the theme of death and imagery of ghosts happened to be the first and final album to be released by the band.

It's a shame that they haven't reunited with the purpose of creating a new album, because I would certainly be up for a listen. The band has a flurry of creative ideas that blend relatively well with their goofy style of songwriting and dream-like aesthetic. As an obscure footnote in indie rock history, I'm glad that someone recommended I check this out. It definitely deserves some more love and appreciation.

A-

Favorite Songs: Tuff Ghost, Sea Ghost, The Clap, I Was Born (A Unicorn), Tuff Luff, Ready to Die

Least Favorite Track: Inoculate the Innocuous