The Unicorns

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 66.30.100.130 (talk) at 14:40, 1 February 2010. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

alyssa marie(: muhahahahahahahaa!!

The Unicorns

The Unicorns were an indie pop band from Montreal, Canada, formed in December 2000 by Nicholas Thorburn (Nick Diamonds) and Alden Penner (Alden Ginger), who were later joined by Jamie Thompson (J'aime Tambeur) in December 2003.[1]

History

The Unicorns formed in Campbell River, British Columbia[2] in December 2000 by Nicholas Thorburn (stage name Nick "Neil" Diamonds, as well as a host of other aliases) and Alden Penner (stage name, Alden Ginger; Elvis Presley's fiancée when he died was Ginger Alden). They were later joined by drummer Jamie Thompson (stage name J'aime Tambeur).[3]

Recordings

The band self-released their debut album Unicorns Are People Too in March 2003 through their own record label Caterpillars of the Community, with a limited press run of 500 copies. [citation needed]

In October of the same year they went back into the studio, recording several new songs as well as reworking a number of songs from their debut. The resulting second album, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?, recorded by Mark Lawson in Montreal, was released in November 2003 on the label Alien8 Recordings. It was a notable departure for a label that has traditionally released albums by avant-garde and highly experimental artists such as Acid Mothers Temple and noise pioneer Merzbow.

The album received glowing reviews from The Village Voice, NME, online magazine Pitchfork Media and numerous other publications around the world[4], and it quickly earned the band a fanatical following on the indie-rock circuit. The band toured constantly for thirteen months following its release, initially supporting fellow Canadian band Hot Hot Heat across North America before proceeding to play to sold-out crowds in Australia, Europe and the UK, as well as touring several more times across the U.S. and Canada.

In November 2004, a split 7" between the Unicorns and noise artists, Man Is The Bastard, for release on Kitty Play Records was announced by the bands website and Pitchfork media but it was never finished.[5]

Disbanding

The band's hectic touring schedule took its toll, however, and by the time of their Australian tour in December 2004 they were showing signs of exhaustion, playing reportedly lukewarm shows and verbally clashing with audience members.[6] On December 28, 2004, a short message appeared on the Unicorns' website reading "THE UNICORNS ARE DEAD, (R.I.P.)", leading fans to speculate as to whether they had broken up. The Unicorns last show was on December 21, 2004 in Houston, TX. Nicholas Thorburn looked over at Alden Penner and said something along the lines of i quit i cant do this anymore and walked off stage never to return.

In early February 2005 Pitchfork Media reported that The Unicorns had split. Also the website Solid PR issued a press statement on the band's behalf confirming the claims of break-up.

Later projects

Thorburn and Thompson continued to collaborate together as Th' Corn Gangg (a pop/hip-hop project) and Islands (a pop project). However, on May 28, 2006, Jamie Thompson announced his departure from Islands,[7] though, he returned to the band in June 2009.

Penner released a 7" on the Melbourne-based Art School Dropout label. The A-side, The Ghost of Creaky Crater, was recorded in Melbourne on December 19, 2004 while The Unicorns were touring the country. The release was limited to a hundred copies. Penner performed under the name Dub Intefadah[8] and scored the soundtrack for the indepdendent feature film The Hamster Cage.[9] Alden recently formed a new band called Clues, with Brendan Reed (formerly of the Arcade Fire and Les Angles Morts), and Bethany Or, of the band Shanghai Triad. They made their debut at Pop Montreal in October 2007.[10]

Members

Discography

Albums

Singles/EPs

Unreleased tracks

  • "Haunted House"
  • "Abominable Snowman"
  • "Livin' in the Country"
  • "The Adventures of Bayou Billy"
  • "Hanz(Suicide Is a Shame)"
  • "I Do It (For Your Love)"
  • "Bad Mind"
  • "Ruff Gem"

See also

External links

Official sites
Related Projects
Interviews & Articles
Fansites

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Jason Heller (1 April 2004). "Horn Again: The Unicorns resurrect the mystic rite of having fun". Denver Westword.
  3. ^ Peter Joseph (6 December 2005). "Islands (Ex-Unicorns)". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ [3]
  6. ^ [4]
  7. ^ Phillips, Amy (May 30, 2006). "J'Aime Tambeur Quits Islands". Daily Music News. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2006-06-03.
  8. ^ [5]
  9. ^ [6]
  10. ^ Pitchfork: Former Unicorn Drops Clues With New Band
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Unicorns&oldid=341279035"