Unicorn Rock

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insp. by Alex's Kate vs. Souixie thread, I remembered that friend of mine used to called certain music "unicorn rock"

I can't remember his exact definition but it was something like this:

Very romantic, usually lush, often sung by women (but I don't think guys were excluded)
Kinda goth, but not too goth
Kinda fantasy, but without being Ronnie James Dio Dungeons & Dragons type stuff....

I know for a fact he dubbed Kate Bush and Tori Amos unicorn rock?

So, who else would qualify?

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Saturday, 22 November 2003 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Rasputina?

― Sarah Pedal (call mr. lee), Saturday, 22 November 2003 20:48 (twenty-two years ago)

That woman who had that technofied Mummer's Dance. Lorenna McKennit or something like that?

Mary Timony too.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 22 November 2003 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Enya OWNS this thread!

― Sarah Pedal (call mr. lee), Saturday, 22 November 2003 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, Mary Timony and Helium perfectly capture what he meant....(enya too....Rasputina maybe but are they too gothy?? I don't know them)

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Saturday, 22 November 2003 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Before I even opened this thread, I was thinking "Mary Timony/Helium."

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Saturday, 22 November 2003 20:53 (twenty-two years ago)

neutral milk hotel

― thom west (thom w), Saturday, 22 November 2003 21:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Timony esp. 'golden dove'
Cynthia Dall

some K.Hersch

― kephm, Saturday, 22 November 2003 21:12 (twenty-two years ago)

&Enya is too new age. if RaspUtina counts, then Faith and the Muse

― kephm, Saturday, 22 November 2003 21:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Neutral Milk Hotel?! No!

― Kate Silver (Kate Silver), Saturday, 22 November 2003 22:05 (twenty-two years ago)

This Ascension.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 22 November 2003 23:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Kate, Unicorn rock isn't a derogatory term exactly....I like helium and some kate bush alot...Neutral Milk Hotel does flirt with unicornism, that said their two albums are near and dear to my heart.

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Saturday, 22 November 2003 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Tyrannosaurus Rex definately owns this!! They even had an LP called Unicorn!

― Sean (Sean), Sunday, 23 November 2003 00:17 (twenty-two years ago)

TREX!!! YES!

Also: BLack Elf Speaks, Flossie & The Unicorns, Mirah

― ian j0hns0n, Sunday, 23 November 2003 00:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Syrup USA, natch.

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Sunday, 23 November 2003 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Stevie Nicks 0wnz. "Rhiannon" is probably the primary reason why it has such a bad reputation.

― j.lu (j.lu), Sunday, 23 November 2003 00:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh but "Rhiannon" is one of my favorite songs evar. I have a secret fantasy of shannon wright covering it.

Do Bel Canto count...? they have a song called "Unicorn".

Ordo Equitum Solis, or is that too goth... it's pagany goodness.

How about Belly? Some of their stuff, anyway.

Long live unicorn rock!!!!

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Sunday, 23 November 2003 01:05 (twenty-two years ago)

http://nihilistdisco.matterwave.net/images/jamie_unicorn.jpg

― Nihilist Pop Star (mjt), Sunday, 23 November 2003 01:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Sally Oldfield.

― Rockist Scientist, Sunday, 23 November 2003 01:22 (twenty-two years ago)

(Neutral Milk Hotel cannot be unicorn rock. There were no unicorns in the world between the years of 1921 and 1943, were there? Therefore Neutral Milk Hotel are not unicorn rock. They are either "antique Mason jar" rock or "Model T / G.I. Bill" rock, depending on the track.)

― nabiscothingy, Sunday, 23 November 2003 01:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"Flannery O'Connor Rock."

― nabiscothingy, Sunday, 23 November 2003 01:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know their music well enough to be sure, but it seems like Marillion could be unicorn rock.

― earlnash, Sunday, 23 November 2003 01:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmmm...Amon Duul, Gandalf the Gray, and Sean Na Na.

― Kate Silver (Kate Silver), Sunday, 23 November 2003 02:30 (twenty-two years ago)

happy rhodes. EWWWWW.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Sunday, 23 November 2003 03:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Nightwish!

― adam (adam), Sunday, 23 November 2003 03:54 (twenty-two years ago)

(haha I remember seeing Helium open for Sonic Youth in '98 and telling my friend afterward "I always thought the point of Gentle Giant was that they could play their instruments")

― M Matos (M Matos), Sunday, 23 November 2003 04:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I heart Helium with lots of shiny kittycats and hearts and stars from back in the day, but HAHAHA anyway.

Flannery O'Connor rock: Southern Gothic?

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Sunday, 23 November 2003 06:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Gandalf The Grey--OMG YES.

i am drunk,.

― ian johns0n, Sunday, 23 November 2003 06:57 (twenty-two years ago)

alright, i know that the chameleons aren't "unicorn rock." but you wouldn't know that from this album cover, now would you?

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd200/d238/d238663u703.jpg

this looks like something that a 12-year girl (or michael jackson) would hang on their wall.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 23 November 2003 08:04 (twenty-two years ago)

shakespeare's sister - stay

― minna (minna), Sunday, 23 November 2003 11:14 (twenty-two years ago)

mike oldfield - moonlight shadow

― minna (minna), Sunday, 23 November 2003 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Speaking of "very romantic, usually lush"--surely Lush qualify as Unicorn indie?

― nestmanso (nestmanso), Sunday, 23 November 2003 11:46 (twenty-two years ago)

All About Eve?

― MikeB, Sunday, 23 November 2003 11:59 (twenty-two years ago)

delta goodrem! (going by tim f's kate bush observation)

gyan - wait

― minna (minna), Sunday, 23 November 2003 12:02 (twenty-two years ago)

maria muldar

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Sunday, 23 November 2003 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I always think of "unicorn music" as music for people (girls, usu.) who put unicorn pictures on their walls - NOT songs about unicorns. Anyway, I always think of Jewel because didn't she hump a unicorn in one of her videos or was that just a rumor. All those chicks with celtic names, too - ALL of them. It makes me embarrassed to be of celtic ancestry.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Sunday, 23 November 2003 19:09 (twenty-two years ago)

The Unicorns probably don't count, do they?

― Shmuel (shmuel), Sunday, 23 November 2003 23:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I would be inclined to think they do, given Nick Diamonds's oft-stated affinity for Lisa Frank
http://www.alien8recordings.com/images/aliencd41.jpg

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 24 November 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

So Cocteau Twins or Cranberries - not mentioned so far .. count 'em or not?

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 24 November 2003 14:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Count 'em - Unicorn rock is inclusive!

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 24 November 2003 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Cocteaus are the thinking person's unicorn.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Monday, 24 November 2003 18:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Yay!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 24 November 2003 18:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Tool is unicorn rock, only that particular unicorn is cursed, doomed, his fur is black as night, his eyes glow red, and his horn is cracked and his magic is fatally flawed.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 24 November 2003 19:16 (twenty-two years ago)

No wonder I love them so.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 24 November 2003 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

PM Dawn could be Unicorn Rap

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 24 November 2003 19:48 (twenty-two years ago)

ha ha

I think Ween definitely dabbles in unicorn rock ("Right to the Ways and the Means of the World", fr'instance), but it's like two-guys-in-a-unicorn-suit unicorn rock.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 24 November 2003 19:51 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/dre100/e157/e15759axdrb.jpg

― kephm, Monday, 24 November 2003 20:03 (twenty-two years ago)

re: Ween, I see what you mean, but I think sincerity is a big part of unicorn rock....like no "ironic" quotation marks around your unicorns.

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 24 November 2003 20:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I can imagine a good half (or a bad half) of SImon and Garfunkel's oeuvre as the underscoring for slow-motion unicorns nobly gallivanting in a glimmering glade of purplish mist

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 01:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Sigur Ros are unicorny for me, personally.

I think unicorn rock would definitely be painfully earnest.

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 10:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Much as I love Kate B and loathe them - The Flaming Lips?

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 11:05 (twenty-two years ago)

How could y'all have forgotten Dead Can Dance, who OWN this thread?

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd like to propose Mellow Candle as rightful owners of the MOR Folk-Prog proto-Unicorn crown.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 12:48 (twenty-two years ago)

One of these acts should cover "The Unicorn Song," by Peter Paul & Mary.

― John Fredland (jfredland), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

How could y'all have forgotten Dead Can Dance, who OWN this thread?

Chinese dragon rock, maybe.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

If there's a My Little Pony-addled, Peach-scented 12 year-old girl aspect to so-called Unicorn Rock...then this would be it's theme song.

Unicorn Rock

Music by Elton John Lyrics by Bernie Taupin Wendy Schwartengruber Available on the album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Little Girl who Loves to Hand out Scratch and Sniff Stickers to the rest of the Class. I remember when I was so young Princess Sparkles had so much fun holding hands and petting smurfs Wore my shiny pink jellies and my magic wand But the biggest kick I ever got was doing a thing called the Unicorn Rock While the other kids were growing some pubes we were hopping and bopping to the Unicorn Rock

Well Unicorn Rocking is something shocking when your hooves just can't keep still I never knew me a better time and I guess I never will Oh goody goody my horn'ed filly Princess Sparkles wore her dresses so frilly and the Unicorn Rocking was funny really

But the years went by and then one day Princess Sparkles got into Shawn Cassidy She spent her days fingerpainting the walls dreaming of shiny tiara and barbie dolls But they'll never kill the thrills we've got twinkling around to the Unicorn Rock Learning fast as the weeks went past we really thought the Unicorn Rock would last

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 15:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Brilliant! (coincidentally I just read "Omicron" as Unicorn)

It's Lisa Frank's world, we just live in it.

― Kate Silver (Kate Silver), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't see how that could've happened.

(maybe it's time for me to choose a new greek letter.)

― Lord Custos Unicorn (Lord Custos Omicron), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 16:05 (twenty-two years ago)

new kids on the block... in that when i think of unicorns, i think of the mid-80's and think unicorn shirts and nkotb folders and so on.

― msp, Wednesday, 26 November 2003 03:49 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

anal cunt's picnic of love. check out the cover, yo!

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dre700/e748/e74864awyfz.jpg

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:42 (twenty-two years ago)

No way is Maria Muldaur unicorn rock. Far too earthy. Closer, really, to gator rock, but not that either.

Heart, of course, is dog-and-butterly rock, but sometimes looks to the unicorn. Side two of Led Zep III might qualify.

― dylan (dylan), Friday, 16 January 2004 04:27 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

Rhapsody of Fire: Forest of Unicorns

― mothra juggs and speed (los blue jeans), Saturday, 14 March 2009 20:44 (seventeen years ago)

six years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBbmOHU2MoQ

― reggie (qualmsley), Tuesday, 7 July 2015 21:00 (ten years ago)

http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/442

― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 10 July 2015 20:56 (ten years ago)

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