NEW Justice of the Unicorns
May 2011
Album of the Month
Album of the Month
This One You Need to Own
the new album: beautiful, whimsical, quirky indie folk
ANIMALS WILL BE STONED - Somewhere along the way, when allotments for don't-give-a-shit lyricism and swirling empathetic tone were getting handed out - Justice of the Unicorns got a double-helping. And where this artistic bonus may have cost Russell Dungan and the band, that huge mainstream success, it has helped secure them a place as one of the better indie folk rock bands of this decade. Beginning back in 2008 when the band produced their self-titled debut, there was something clearly different about the Brooklyn act. Again, they made the songs they liked and performed them well. But they weren't clean and it didn't seem to bother them. In this way the band have a foot in modern indie folk rock and another in anti-folk.
The plugging in, the unusual side projects and wildly creative music videos produced in their name of their art... And the online presence, Russ and fellow JOTU player Jason Lam have been making funny clips for years now. Lam is, interestingly, a dedicated food blogger in his spare hours... Well, let's just say this could be one of the most unique bands in North America right now.
Whether singing about flawed characters, pill-popping high school teachers ("Old Man Jesus") or producing tongue-in-cheek celebratory songs for gun-toting rednecks ("4x4 Parade") who want to kill for trophy, Justice of the Unicorns appear to have no maximum or minimum. The new album embraces all audiences and reject just as many in turn. That's fine once you get in the spirit of things. Creativity is the thing...
When Russ sings about twisted love; about being caught in a situation where you are caught in love but are not being treated right... ("Stairway to Hell") he puts into words what we all know: love is hell. It's just never been said quite so well; "Well I don't want your love, cause it's all fucked up. The way your lover feels like a rabid skunk, you know the kind that everyone tries to hide from... Like a fish that figures out it's been hooked. I'm on a Stairway to Hell - with you, babe... But I ain't gonna wear these heavy boots." There is no expiration date to this kind of straight-forward lyricism. You can't make this kind of stuff up... Well, unless you are these guys.
This spring, Dungan hit the road as a solo artist under the JOTU name. But with the release of Animals Will Be Stoned, the band will be looking to be perform East Coast dates this summer with the full crew. Justice of the Unicorns is Dungan, Lam, Dan Forbes, Anthony Cangelosi, Jody Bilinski, Christa Molinaro; a gifted and fun bunch.
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