The Unicorns

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Biography

The Unicorns were a lo-fi music|Lo-Fi / 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.. Alien8 Recordings. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.

History

The Unicorns formed in Campbell River, British Columbia 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).

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.
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|Alien8 Recordings .

The album received glowing reviews from The Village Voice , NME , online magazine Pitchfork Media and numerous other publications around the world,. Metacritic.com (2003-10-21). Retrieved on 2011-04-10. 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.

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.. Exclaim.ca. Retrieved on 2011-04-10. 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.
At The Unicorns last show, on December 21, 2004 in Houston, TX, Nicholas Thorburn looked over at Alden Penner and said something along the lines of, "I quit, I can't do this anymore" and walked off stage.

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

Later projects

Thorburn and Thompson continued to collaborate as Th' Corn Gangg (a pop/hip-hop project) and Islands (band)|Islands (an indie rock project). On May 28, 2006, Thompson announced his departure from Islands. He returned to the band in June 2009, but left again a year later.

Penner released a Gramophone record|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 . Peak.sfu.ca (2005-10-10). Retrieved on 2011-04-10. and scored the soundtrack for the indepdendent film The Hamster Cage ., IMDB He then formed a band called Clues (band)|Clues with Brendan Reed (formerly of Arcade Fire and Les Angles Morts), and Bethany Or of Shanghai Triad (band)|Shanghai Triad . They made their debut at Pop Montreal in October 2007.

Members

Nicholas Thorburn – stage name "Nick 'Neil' Diamonds"

Alden Penner – stage name "Alden Ginger"

Jamie Thompson – stage name "J'aime Tambeur"

Discography

Albums

Three Inches of Blood (Demo)|Three Inches of Blood (2002)

Unicorns Are People Too (2003)

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

Singles/EPs

The Unicorns: 2014 - 7" single (purple vinyl) w/ B-side : "Emasculate the Masculine" (March 23, 2004); limited to 2,000 copies

The Unicorns: 2014 (2004)

Jellybeans - CD-R promo single (2004); United Kingdom|UK release only

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"

Copyright Citations

This article is licensed under the GNU License
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The Unicorns Photo by: www.cs.mcgill.ca

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