Sir Unicorn, brought to you by yet another great Midwestern band: The Treats

On mp3…The Treats Sir Unicorn ….. buy it

We Had Fun mp3

Oh my god, have I had fun with this album! Honestly, I have this on constantly and if my stupid iphone could be scrobbled properly to my last.fm profile you would be able to see just how many times I’ve listened to it. It’s almost shameful. Well no, how could it be shameful to listen to music? And this album is especially not a guilty pleasure, in the sense that there is NO reason to feel guilty for loving it. The first track won me over, the banjo, … you know, but it snuck up on me in this one. And I like to be surprised by a banjo.

The second track is what scared me! Well I say scared, but really… thrilled me in that scary way. It’s totally different from the first, all deep grooves and throaty vocals and a strung-out guitar solo backed up by a grinding bass. And it ends with a fade out… oh yeah. So at this point, I’m scratching my head, two tracks in and I’ve got no idea what to expect from this band. Turns out that those first two tracks were pretty indicative of the rest, as different as they are from one another. The Treats, from Madison, WI, are like the best bar band you’ve ever heard and at the same time, much more than that (not to disparage your favorite bar band, but these guys are excellent songwriters!) There’s an amazing groove to these songs and at the same time the versatility of all that is good about indie music today. The title track is a true drinking song, a folk tune, that relates a love story between a Captain and a shape shifting unicorn/woman. It’s lovely and at times ridiculous.

If I had to explain to someone what The Treats were all about, I’d tell them just how easily this band bridges the divide between the rock I love and the indie-folk I’ve come to adore. If you’re my age and still have a soft spot for Fleetwood Mac-ish types, you’ll find this more than beautiful. (If you’re young and think Fleetwood Mac is all heavy percussion and outrageous Stevie-Nicks-tambourine-twirling-with-scarves then you don’t know much anyway. So just listen to this and forget that reference, ha!)  But honestly, how many albums do you own that use a fade out? I’m enthralled by Sir Unicorn. Happy Monday, my dears, get your groove on with The Treats today, xoxo