Unicycle Loves You
Mirror, Mirror
Highwheel Records
Rating: 4.8 out of 5

Link: http://www.unicyclelovesyou.com/

The big news in the Unicycle Loves You camp is that with the release of Mirror, Mirror, the band paired themselves from a quintet back down to a their initial conception of a trio. And with that minimalist regression, it has caused them to work harder at filling in the spaces. And this band did not miss a beat. The result is a gorgeous alternative pop album filled with the luster of a Midwestern sun and formulaic hooks that get you every time.

There is a childlike fascination when you listen to Mirror, Mirror that makes you want to run wild and carefree or jump in a huge pile of leaves. It’s no wonder that they joined the Yo Gabba Gabba tour. But there is enough darkness in the play of their music to work like a creepy fairy tale and you know with every pop-like escapade, there is a skeleton in the closet.

The way Jim Carroll and Nicole Vitale’s vocals mesh is absolutely delicious. “Wickedest Man In San Francisco” gives me goosebumps just like the first time I heard The Church and their transcendental haunts with rock culture. “Mountain Lungs” is suave Chicago power pop that integrates rough and rumble melodic edginess to driving rhythms. It’s not the norm on this album, but that is what makes this album stand out more.

What the norm is the ghostly sounds of vintage sounds and the fashionable, atmospheric, and spaced-out flickering of the album’s title track and the melancholy meanderings of “Quagga.”

This is what make Unicycle Loves You so great. I will be listening to this album for some time to come and one day look back to remember 2010 and this amazing album by this band from Chicago.

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