I was walking to my new office in Sheepshead Bay this morning when “Sea Ghost” by the Unicorns popped into my shuffle. As I was strolling down the dirty street towards my destination, I found myself hypnotized by the maritime swing rock of the nautically themed song. The guitar tone has that perfect garage band crunch, and the melody is both catchy and unpredictable. In short, its a perfect rock and roll song. The video below is some crazy fan made video of people running around in ghost costumes, miming the opening piccolo solo, and making merry times to one of the world’s greatest unknown songs. Check it out.
I was given the Unicorns’ album, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?, way back in late 2004, and I still have not gotten over it. Since then, I’ve collected all the demos, music videos, Islands records, Clues records, and bootlegs possible, and am still hungry for more. The creative genius of Alden Penner, Nicholas Thorburn, and Jamie Thompson still resonate with me, all these years later. The Unicorns were a frightfully talented trio of Canadian rock perfection; an indie rock band that had ambitions of pop glory and transcendental coolness. The group’s lead singers and songwriters, Penner and Thorburn, formed a duo of talent and excellence rarely seen in rock and roll. Frankly, they reminded me of Lennon and McCartney. A bold and crazy comparison, but hey, they are that good. The future retro indie rock they made was beautiful, unpredictable, and inspired. The aesthetic construction of their group’s image was homespun, honest, and original. I hate that they broke up after only record, because these guys had a chemistry that played to their strengths. The future seemed unlimited. Anyway, here is their major music video, “Jellybones.” It’s fantastic and gorgeous, matching the songs brilliance. Enjoy.
Part 90 of my countdown blasts forward with one of my favorite group, Islands, and there video “Rough Gem.” From their debut record Return to the Sea, “Rough Gem” is a beautiful kaleidoscopic indie pop song that swirls, spirals, and cyclones all over your ears. It’s a gorgeous cacophony of genius modern pop. I’m not entirely sure what the song is about, but I’m guessing its Islands leader Nick Diamonds mission statement about his soul or his fake last name. I just discovered the video this morning, and I think its great as well. Its a nice lo-fi astronaut adventure where the Islands spaceship is shot by a floating laser diamond. Pretty typical of the group spawned from the legendary Unicorns. Check it out. SPECIAL MESSAGE: This post represents the first of the last ten posts in my youtube favorites countdown. When I hit #100, there will be a special retrospective look at the entire list, so get ready!
Did you know that when you plug your iPod into your computer, iTunes can arrange your iPod’s mp3s by plays, from most played to least? It’s pretty fascinating to see what you’ve been listening to exclusively, and how many thousands (yes thousands of times) you’ve clicked play on certain songs. Well, I’d thought it’d be interesting to share the top ten most played songs on my iPod in a new awesome mega post. So, without further ado, here is the list, starting with #10!
#10- The Police- Can’t Stand Losing You, 255 plays.My countdown kicks off with the Police’s catchy little reggae punk tune known as “Can’t Stand Losing You.” From Outlandos d’Amour, this song isn’t skipped much for a bunch of reasons. First, its supremely catchy, with its syncopated guitars, tight harmonies, and perfect drumming. Second, Sting’s lyrics are so raw and real, that its one of the greatest breakup songs ever. I’m just addicted to the way that chorus fades into oblivion.
#9- The Beatles- Eleanor Rigby, 509 plays. Ahh, the Beatles, of course, you’ll be seeing a few songs by the fab four pepper my top ten I’m not ashamed to say. “Eleanor Rigby,” from Revolver, is just a brilliant song to play on a crowded depressed subway during rush hour. The song swoops in with George Martin’s brilliant string arrangement, and you look around the train and see “all the lonely people,” wondering “where do they all belong.” Then you wonder if you yourself is one of those lonely people who is gonna die alone while you are arranging your socks in your dingy apartment. Read more »
If you’ve been visiting my site, you realize that a lot of my youtube favorites come from another era. Well here’s one from a more recent time. Part 18 of my countdown continues with the Unicorns, Tuff Ghost. Hailing from Montreal, the now defunct Unicorns were fronted by silly pop geniuses Nick Diamonds (real name Nicholas Thorburn) and Alden Ginger (real name Alden Penner,) and backed by creative drummer J’aime Tambeur (real name Jamie Thompson.) They had one major record release Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone, an awesome concept album about fear, death, dying, ghosts, camping, and airplanes. I love the Unicorns because they were fronted by two incredible pop singer/songwriters who do nothing but remind me of a modern day Lennon/McCartney. The Unicorns would sadly break up, and Diamonds, the more Lennony one went on to form the incredibly underrated group Islands, and Ginger, the McCartney one went on to form the equally interesting Clues. I still dream of a reunion record one day, but until that happens, I’ll have to make due with videos like of Tuff Ghost. It’s a hard bass driving pop gem with Diamonds and Ginger alternating verses about a weight lifting ghost who doesn’t sweat. I love The Unicorn’s stage presentation, costumes, and most of all, incredible music. So here you go, Tuff Ghost!
