Johnny Unicorn is one of those DIY indie artists you really want to — how should I put this? — dislike. The cover features a big brown cat painted on a pink background, the inside artwork features a close-up photo of the nerdy-looking singer/multi-instrumentalist eating a cheese-and-lettuce sandwich, and he doesn't seem to know what kind of artist he wants to be: Disco? Country? Prog? Indie? (For the record, Unicorn just calls it "rock music.") And OMG, just check out the title of this 79-minute album. Seventy-nine minutes!
To his credit, Unicorn — who also is one of the keyboard players for Phideaux — divides the track listing into four sides, as if Thinking Hard to Overcome Nervousness were a double LP from 1978. And I gotta admit, now that I've played this thing lots of times, I get it. In fact, I'm thoroughly impressed, to the point where I can't deny that Johnny Unicorn possess a type of creativity almost unmatched. Not only does he play guitar, bass, synthesizers, alto saxophone, bass clarinet, accordion, banjo, marimba and vibraphone, he also programmed the disco beats that open the album on "Break Out!"
Unicorn raps on "Bullcrap," "White Man Red Hand" features a prominent banjo, and he covers two major food groups on "Fields of Wheat and "Meat on the Table." Other food references come on "Muffin Mitten," and "I Can't Believe It's Christmas" (with a catchy alto-sax solo introduced by Unicorn with a "Blow, Johnny!") should be played every holiday season as a welcome break from traditional carols. Phideaux Xavier duets with Jennifer Collier on "The Earth, The Moon" (which also shows off Unicorn's guitar skills), and "Aware of the Bear" is a fun banjo-fueled, country-tinged ditty that devolves into Unicorn screaming like a reincarnated Sam Kinison.
Some critics have called Unicorn's distinct sound a mix between the Dave Matthews Band and Primus, or Phish and Nintendo, or Oingo Boingo and Faith No More. I'm not going to argue. But I will say that with such elaborate, oversized gatefold packaging that includes Unicorn's own artwork, it's unfortunate that he did not include a lyric sheet, which would have made the experience of listening to Thinking Hard to Overcome Nervousness even more entertaining and rewarding.
Track Listing:
One
1) Break Out!
2) I Can't Believe it's Christmas
3) Aware of the Bear
Two
4) The Earth, The Moon
5) Muffin Mitten
6) A Letter from the Patriarchy
7) Bullcrap
Three
8) White Man Red Hand
9) Fields of Wheat
10) Meat on the Table
11) The Final American Dream
Four
12) Don't Wait
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
