Verse-chorus-verse. The classic pop formula that has created more number one hits than the number of barns the Amish have raised in their entire history. From Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” all the way back to Billy Haley & The Comets’ “Rock Around The Clock,” it’s a formula guaranteed to work because of its simplicity. But what happens when pop music decides to go against this cornerstone? Then you’ll need to refer to the textbook written by Canadian-based band The Unicorns’ oddly titled 2003 release, “Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
If you’ll open your books you’ll see that this is not an easy book to read. Like reading Shakespeare for the first time, it’s written in a language that you’ll need to re-read a couple times just to get used to the phrasing of things. For example, take chapter five titled “Jellybones.” The chapter begins with what sounds like a throwback to 80s dance floor beats with its synthesized intro, but don’t think it’s going to stay like this for long. A minute into it, it turns into a guitar driven rock track, eventually ending up destroying itself musically and ending with a slow acoustic track. It’s like three songs in one and all in under a three-minute running time.
As you’ll also see from the text, the writers are almost too good in their creativity. I’ll read from chapter eight’s “Let’s Get Known” paragraph four: “Look at the ants on the floor / They work real hard lifting three times their mass / And sometimes more.” The Unicorns can be silly in their writing at times, but never should you take them as another kitschy band. In fact, you may be kicking yourself on the catchy “(I Was Born A) Unicorn,” in the way they can pop out a jingle so catchy and complex that if you’re a musician, you’ll be angry you didn’t write it first.
The chapter I will be assigning to you this week will be what I refer to as the most important chapter, chapter twelve’s “Les Os.” In this chapter, your mind will be spinning from its versatility musically. It begins with an organ opener, which then goes into an almost pop-punk feel all before it mellows out and then comes back one more time to destroy with a guitar rocking finisher complete with back-up “ooh,” vocals.
Exhausting? Yes. But then again, this is treading into great unknowns in pop music where all previous formulas have been stuck with a musical Armageddon of sorts. In a sentence: The Unicorns “Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?” is a lo-fi masterpiece which you may find hard to listen to at times, but even harder to ignore. |