Come out, come out,
wherever you are…

The Unicorns were one of the greatest bands there ever was. For me, they’re up there with Nirvana, The Velvet Underground, The Beatles. Not just in sentimentality, but in songwriting prowess. Never did a band strike such a chord with me, make me so happy, leap around randomly whenever their songs came on, and make fan art in homage to them. Except Nirvana, of course. The Unicorns were like my modern day Nirvana. I was infinitely sad when they ‘died’ in a bath tub full of hair one day (look it up). I have tried in vain for years to figure out what singer/guitarist Alden has been up to since. I heard he released an amazing little 7″ on an extremely limited run, I’ve never been able to find it on Ebay but apparently it came with crayons and you could colour in the cover! Then I sit here on a sunny morning after my morning coffee, browsing through our blog roll. I come to Said The Gramophone, a great not-for-profit blog based in Canada. Sean writes about this band called CLUES, and I like the curiosity their name provokes, so listen to the song. It’s pretty good. I download it. Read what Sean has to say. Turns out CLUES’ first live performance was at Said The Gramophone’s showcase at the Pop Montreal festival in 2007. And, even awesomer – CLUES is comprised of Alden Penner, Brendan Reed (early member of The Arcade Fire) and friends. So now we know what Alden’s been up to! And of course Nick Thornburn, another ex-Unicorn, is in Islands, the magestic orchestral psychedelic pop band who released the magnificent Return To The Sea in 2006. Here’s hoping they release something new soon as well, but in the meantime, CLUES is releasing its debut, self-titled album on May 19 on Constellation Records. Oh, the excitement! Now where is Unicorns drummer Jaime Tambour hiding…?

CLUES – Approach The Throne: MP3

CLUES – Perfect Fit: MP3

CLUES – Remember Severed Head: MP3

CLUES – on Constellation Records

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Canada