The Montreal-based Unicorns were originally formed in December 2000 by Nick… Read Full Bio ↴The Montreal-based Unicorns were originally formed in December 2000 by Nick Thorburn (stage name Nick "Neil" Diamonds, as well as a host of other aliases) and Alden Penner (stage name, Alden Ginger; Elvis Presley's fiancée when he died was Ginger Alden). They were later joined by drummer Jamie Thompson (stage name J'aime Tambeur) and Max Groadie ("the American Roadie, né Bill Horwood").

The band self-released their debut album Unicorns Are People Too in March 2003 through their own record label Caterpillars of the Community, with a limited press run of 500 copies.

In October of the same year they went back into the studio, recording several new songs as well as reworking a number of songs from their debut. The resulting second album, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?, was released in November 2003 on the label Alien8 Recordings, and was a notable departure for a label that has traditionally released albums by avantgarde and highly experimental artists such as Acid Mothers Temple and noise pioneer Merzbow.

The album received glowing reviews from The Village Voice, NME, online magazine Pitchfork and numerous other publications around the world, and it quickly earned the band a fanatical following on the indie-rock circuit. The band toured constantly for 13 months following its release, initially supporting fellow Canadian band Hot Hot Heat across North America before proceeding to play to sell-out crowds in Australia, Europe and the UK, as well as touring several more times across the US and Canada.

The band's hectic touring schedule took its toll, however, and by the time of their Australian tour in December 2004 they were showing signs of exhaustion, playing reportedly lukewarm shows and verbally clashing with audience members. On December 28, 2004, a short message appeared on the Unicorns' website reading "THE UNICORNS ARE DEAD, (R.I.P.)," leading fans to speculate as to whether they had broken up. In early February of 2005 pitchforkmedia.com reported that The Unicorns had split. Also the website solidpr.com issued a press statement on the band's behalf confirming the claims of break-up.

Thorburn and Thompson continue to collaborate together as Th' Corn Gangg (a pop/hip-hop project) and Islands (a pop project).

Penner released a 7" on the Melbourne-based Art School Dropout label. The a-side, "The Ghost Of Creaky Crater", was recorded in Melbourne on December 19, 2004 while The Unicorns were touring the country. The release was limited to 100 copies. Penner now performs under the name Dub Intefadah.

From Wikipedia

Sea Ghost
The Unicorns Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I dove into that freezing sea
With the parasite attached to me
I had hoped the salt below
Would divorce what was wed above

But league after league
It yet remained
For the fleshy vessel I

Kept it sustained

And so we froze a while surrounded by one big tear
Which only reminded me of a former home

But we weren't welcome
The sea made that clear
By filling us with saline
And sailing us blue blue back into
The atmosphere

"You choked as you surfaced, tangled in seaweed"

But what remained?
Of the driving intent?
That led me to tract such watery depths
Many things have betrayed me
Between there and here
And my memory is so fucking unclear

Who was I with? What time was it? Where did you go?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sea Ghost by The Unicorns tell a story of a person who dives into a freezing sea with a parasite attached to them. The person hopes that the saltwater below will somehow separate them from the parasite attached to them, but as they dive deeper, they realize that it is still attached to them. The person describes the feeling of being surrounded by tears and being reminded of a former home. However, they soon realize that they are not welcome in this sea as it fills them with saline and tosses them back into the atmosphere.

The lyrics are an allegory for a person's journey through life. The parasite represents the baggage that people carry with them from their past, and the sea represents their journey through life. The person hopes that by diving deep into life, they will be able to shed their past and emerge free of their baggage. However, they soon realize that their past will always be with them and that life will continue to toss and turn them around. The final lines of the song show the person's confusion and frustration as they try to make sense of their journey and remember the key moments of their life.

Line by Line Meaning

I dove into that freezing sea
I jumped into the cold ocean water

With the parasite attached to me
Having the unwanted attachment with me

I had hoped the salt below
I thought the ocean would help me

Would divorce what was wed above
To separate what was connected earlier

But league after league
But no matter how far

It yet remained
It still didn't go away

For the fleshy vessel I
For my physical body

Kept it sustained
Continued to hold on to it

And so we froze a while surrounded by one big tear
And we were frozen in a teardrop shape

Which only reminded me of a former home
Which reminded me of a past memory

But we weren't welcome
But we were not accepted