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Unicorn, Johnny: Angels in the Oort Cloud

Perhaps best known as a backing musician in Phideaux's band, Johnny Unicorn is an excellent musician/songwriter in his own right having released seven studio albums, his latest titled Angels in the Oort Cloud. On his latest offering Unicorn adds vocals, guitar, keyboards and bass and is joined by Jason Campbell (drums), Max Steiner (guitar), Naomi Adele Smith (vocals, synth), Ashley Miller (flute) and Eric Padget (trumpet).

Unicorn has his own highly developed quirky pop sound with more than the occasional progressive twist but his certainly influenced by his work in Phideaux's band. There are also elements of The Beatles, David Bowie and an overall '60s/'70s pop sound. What makes this disc different than your average pop/rock album are the quirky changes of direction found in nearly every track.

There are no duff tracks starting with the album epic "Angels". Slow guitar, gentle flute and Unicorn's plaintive voice lead into dramatic riffs laced with distortion before twisting into quirky pop sounds. Lovely female vocals are also added as the song continues to morph in different directions all the while retaining a great sense of melody. "Creation" is a short Phideaux influenced track with a psychedelic vibe while "Nebraska" has an upbeat punky flair.

The song "Floaters" extends from the idea that those slivers of light you see when your eyes are closed are actually malevolent beings bent on attacking on you. Unicorn takes this interesting idea and molds an outstanding progressive track with varying tempos, excellent guitar work and ripping bass grooves.

The album ending "Inertia" is a sweeping progressive tinged folk song with another outstanding melody. This might be his best vocal performance on the disc.

Angels in the Oort Cloud is a refreshing take on retro style rock and pop that will have tremendous appeal for fans of progressive rock and those tired of the pop drivel heard on the radio ad nauseum. I totally dig it.


Track Listing:
1. Angels
2. Creation
3. LCD
4. Nebraska
5. Floaters
6. Inertia

Added: February 7th 2015
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1674
Language: english

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